From the Inside
by RainFlame
Summary: Squall has a problem, but even he doesn't realize to what extent. Rated for the possibility of future violence, just to be safe. Squinoa. FFVII Crossover. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! So, this is my first official fan fiction :D I'm very excited to see how the public responds. I would love any constructive criticism you have to offer and, naturally, praise is always appreciated ^-^

Disclaimer: No, Final Fantasy VIII is not mine. Sad day.

* * *

Squall sighed in irritation, shoving another stack of papers aside. This was what he hated most about being the Commander of Balamb Garden. Paperwork. It almost made him miss Cid, the daft old man that used to run the Garden. At least then he didn't have to worry about the shortage of hot dogs in the mess, or the lack of hyacinths the grounds keeper was complaining about. What were hyacinths, anyways?

There was a knock at the door and Squall looked up. "Enter."

The door opened and Irvine leaned his head in. Squall restrained an annoyed sigh. This was Quistis' doing, no doubt. "Hey, Squall," the cowboy greeted with a smile and a lazy nod. He slipped inside, closing the door behind him, and took a seat, slouching in his chair and crossing his legs.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Squall inquired politely. Showing his aggravation would only make Irvine curious, and he planned on this visit being very brief.

"Nah. Just came to shoot the breeze," he said, taking off his hat and placing it on his knee. Like he was going to stay a while.

Not if Squall got any say in the matter.

"I'm busy," Squall informed, allowing his tone to take on a threatening quality. He had heard many cadets refer to it as 'The Voice'. With most anyone else, that tone got him what he wanted, or at least made them uneasy.

But not Irvine. Blasted dense cowboy.

"You work too hard, Squall," Irvine complained.

"Whatever," he muttered. "I don't have time to amuse you, Irvine. Unless you would like an assignment?"

The way Irvine's face paled almost made Squall smirk. "No thanks. To be blunt, I was just here to check on you. Quistis told me what happened this morning. In your meeting-"

"I'm fine," Squall responded, his amusement gone. "You and Quistis can mind your own business now, and leave me to mine." With that, he picked up his pen and turned his gaze to the first of the SeeD reports, fully expecting Irvine to leave.

Blasted dense cowboy.

"You're my friend. So, naturally, it's my business if you have some kind of problem-"

"I do _not_ have a problem," Squall hissed, ice blue eyes flashing in warning. "There is nothing for you to be concerned about. You can leave now." Squall punctuated the statement with a glare.

Irvine fidgeted. "Alright, then. Guess I'll see you in the mess," he said, rising and situating his hat on his head. His pony tail swung as he turned around and stepped out the door.

When it closed again, Squall let out a sigh, dropping his pen in favor of massaging the bridge of his nose. The events of the morning, coupled with Quistis' nagging and Irvine's untimely visit left him with a magnificent headache. No doubt the mess would hold dangers of its own. With the place being as small as it was, it was almost guaranteed the whole Garden knew of the incident earlier that morning.

Maybe Irvine was right. He was working too hard. He just needed a break.

After filing several papers away and placing the unread SeeD reports back in his desk, he rose, donned his jacket and left the office for more pleasant surroundings. The training room would probably be his best bet to get his mind off things. Paperwork left him with too much time to think. In the heat of battle, there wasn't much to do but focus on the matter at hand. And, maybe if he worked long enough, he would be too drained to have the onslaught of nightmares he usually did and might get some rest.

He locked the door behind him and boarded the vacant elevator, his right hand absently rubbing over his heart as he did.

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I realize this is a short chapter, but, if the audience seems pleased, there will be more to come! God Bless!

-RainFlame


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Well, I have a second chapter for you, here ^-^ I amaze myself with my own efficiency.

Disclaimer: Nothing but the plot is mine. Bummer.

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"QUISTIS!" a very familiar voice screamed across the mess. The whole room jumped.

The blonde woman in question stiffened, nearly choking on her coffee.

"Guess you didn't explain to Selphie?" Zell ventured quietly from across the table, a grin spreading across his face.

Quistis placed her mug on the table and straightened her jacket in an effort to compose herself. "She wasn't at the Garden. I thought I would just explain when she got back."

"You didn't call?" Zell asked.

She could hear stomping feet drawing nearer. "No."

"That was a mistake," he smirked, taking in a mouthful of hot dog.

"QUISTIS TREPE!" the voice screamed again, but this time, in her ear. She looked up to regard a very irate Selphie, hands on her hips and brown eyes smoldering. "_Why _didn't you call me? All these wonderful friends of mine and I hear about Squall from the _janitor_!"

Quistis was aware of every pair of eyes resting on her, including those of the 'Trepies'. It would probably be better for her sanity to resolve this quickly. "Calm down, Selphie."

Zell made a strangled sound that earned a glare from Selphie. "What's so funny?" she demanded. "Squall could have died! And you didn't even bother telling me!"

"Died?" Quistis asked, frowning slightly. "What exactly did you hear?"

"That he had a heart attack!" she wailed. "Is he in the infirmary? I'm going to see him. I bought him some flowers. He probably won't like them, but it's-"

"Selphie, he did not have a heart attack," Quistis sighed. The way rumors traveled around this Garden was ridiculous.

"Then tell me what happened!" Selphie ordered, crossing her arms.

"Alright. Sit down and stop making a scene."

Selphie didn't appear fazed by her comment. She slid into the booth beside Zell and leaned toward Quistis, glaring at her intensely. "Okay, spill!"

She looked down at her mug, her hand absently twirling the stirring rod. "Squall really didn't look too well, to begin with. Xu said he had been especially moody all morning-"

"How can she tell?"

"Shush!" Selphie hissed at Zell before returning her gaze to Quistis.

"…as I was saying, he didn't look well. When the committee sat down, I noticed he looked pale, but, other than that, he seemed to be acting normal. I had just finished my report on the new SeeD candidates and Nida was speaking when Squall seemed to just…I don't know, zone out or something. I called him and he looked at me, but stared right through me. He mouthed something then his eyes went blank.

"Next thing I knew, he flew out of his chair and looked like he was trying to fight something. Nida tried to calm him down, but Squall punched him in the face like he didn't recognize him. Then he stiffened and collapsed," Quistis finished, frowning. "He came to a moment later, but he didn't remember much. We took him to Dr. Kadowaki, but she couldn't find anything wrong with him."

"And he's back working again."

The group looked up to see a disgruntled Irvine slide in beside Quistis. "He says he's fine," he reported to the instructor.

"Of course he did," she sighed. "Too bad Rinoa's out of town. She's the only one he seems to actually talk to."

"Very convenient," Irvine mumbled.

"Did he look okay?" Selphie asked. "He didn't look like he was about to barf or anything, did he? Or maybe have a heart attack?"

He winced. "Uh, no Selphie. He looked alright. He was just a bit more impatient than usual."

"When is he ever actually patient?" Zell asked, polishing off another hot dog. "Seriously, you guys are getting worked up over nothing. When Rin's not here to stop him, he works himself to death. And with that creep ambassador from Galbadia coming, he's had it a bit rough. It was probably some kind of panic attack or something."

"Squall doesn't have panic attacks," Selphie said firmly. "There's something else wrong. Maybe we should get Dr. Kadowaki to order him on leave."

Quistis nodded. "That may be a good idea. Xu and I can handle the ambassador when he arrives, and Squall can take it easy. Rest couldn't hurt him."

"You sure?" Zell asked. "This is Squall we're talking about."

Irvine looked visibly uncomfortable. "He's not going to like this at all."

"He'll get over it," Selphie grinned."I'll go talk to Kadowaki right now!" she exclaimed, jumping from her seat and running out of the mess.

Irvine sighed. "He won't get over it."

"He'll probably hate us for life," Zell agreed. "Which is why I had no part in this."

Quistis' eyes narrow. "Zell Dincht, you certainly did. And you're going to help us keep an eye on him."

"Me?! Why _me_?!" Zell demanded.

"Because you have too much free time," she replied, getting to her feet. "Don't worry, Zell. He can't kill you…well, legally, anyways." She smiled sweetly and walked off.

"Wait, Quistis!" he called after her. She didn't turn around. "Aww! Why _me_?!" he whined, burying his face in his hands."I always get dragged into these things!"

Irvine stood up. "I'll see you later, Zell."

"Where are you going?" he asked, voice muffled by his hands.

"Well, if we're going to be following Squall around while he's on a vacation against his will, it's probably best to have a living will written out, don't you think?" he deadpanned, then walked off.

Zell was left alone, mumbling under his breath. "I hate my friends."

* * *

I'm not sure if I'm pleased with this chapter or not. Please, if you have any suggestions as far as story line and constructive criticism are concerned, by all means, let me know! The plot isn't set in stone :D God bless!

-RainFlame


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again! Well, I'm having more fun than I thought I would with this ^-^ Hence the update every day. I'm proud of myself, really. Usually I'm not so obsessed :D

**Hitsuji87: **I am so very sorry I neglected to thank you for your review on my first chapter, so I'm doing it now. Thanks 8)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII isn't mine. Woe is me.

* * *

He couldn't see it, but he felt it there in his mind. It was like the sun being blotted out by a mere shadow. Suddenly everything was dark, outside and in. It felt like the touch of soft fabric being draped over his skin, cool and comforting. But he was too surprised to find it so. He jumped back, landing hard on the ground. He rolled to his feet, hand reaching for his gunblade, but it wasn't there. He couldn't see his attacker. He couldn't see anything but the unending blackness that stretched before him.

But he sensed it. The feral stench of death, the sound of heavy breathing-

Something fell on his shoulder. He spun away, tearing loose from the invisible grip.

Then it came from the inside, cold talons piercing his heart. White hot pain seared through every nerve in his body. He screamed.

Squall bolted up, the pained cry dying on his lips. He stared at the ceiling in dismay, his heart pounding. Each beat ached. What was all this? That dream…it was almost exactly what happened the morning before.

He glanced at the clock. Four in the morning. Too early to be awake, but too late to try to go back to sleep. Wonderful.

With a grunt, he threw the sweat drenched covers off and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. There would be no sleeping after a dream like that, anyway. May as well get some exercise in before an early breakfast.

He stood up and stretched, popping his back. The horrors of his nightmare were already starting to fade and he wondered what he had gotten so worked up over. It was just a dream, after all.

He stepped into his bathroom without bothering to turn on the lights and washed his face with cold water, his mind already moving on to the agenda for the day. He would have to finish reading the SeeD mission reports by lunch if he wanted to be done by the time the Galbadian ambassador arrived. With any luck, Squall could get rid of him by the weekend. Rinoa would be back by then. She said she wanted to go out when she returned. He was planning on taking the day off for her.

He reached up to open the medicine cabinet when something caught his eye. He froze, staring in horror. There, over his heart, was what looked like a tattoo. The black color of it contrasted harshly with his pale skin. Seven symbols were arranged in a circle. In the center of the circle was what looked like a star with seven points that extended between the symbols.

He reached up a hand to touch it, brushing over the emblem. It wasn't more than four inches in diameter. Where did this come from? What did it mean? It looked like the letters of an ancient language.

Fear gripped at him, but he dismissed it. This was not something to lose his head over. It was just some kind of tattoo. He would look into it later. Right now, he had to focus. If any of the students thought he looked unsettled in any way, the whole Garden would become uneasy. Another downside of being the Commander. The last thing he needed was for the ambassador from Galbadia to think him skittish and unreliable. That would make his visit that much more unpleasant.

Squall brought up a finger to trace it once more before frowning. He shut the medicine cabinet with more force than necessary and went in search of a clean shirt.

* * *

Originally, this chapter was going to be a lot longer. Then it started getting too long, so I cut part of it off. Sorry :o

If you would, I would really love some feedback on this. Do you like it? Any suggestions on where it should go from here? Any corrections I should make?

Thanks so much for reading! God Bless!

-RainFlame


	4. Chapter 4

I'm on a roll!!!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy isn't mine.

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"What do you mean _ordered_?" His tone carried with it the promise of bodily harm.

Xu shifted under his icy glare. "Dr. Kadowaki sent the message this morning," she explained, sifting through the papers on her desk. "You can read it yourself, if you would like, Sir." She offered the typed message to him.

Squall snatched it from her hands and read it to himself, his scowl becoming deeper and deeper the further he read. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stepped into the elevator, heading for the ground floor.

He barely avoided colliding with Quistis on his way out.

"Good morning, Squall," she greeted, a wary smile on her lips. Of course she was a part of it.

He only offered her a parting glare as he stalked past her. That was about all he could really do at the moment, seeing as how assault probably wouldn't look too good on his record.

"I would like your order repealed," Squall said as soon as he stepped in the door.

Dr. Kadowaki looked up from her desk with a start. "Commander?"

"I _do_ _not_ need medical leave, Doctor," he said, struggling to keep his voice somewhat friendly. If she thought he was stressed this would only be that much more difficult.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sir, but several of your friends have come to me concerned, and I can't help but be concerned myself. Your 'attack' yesterday was-"

"I'm fine, Doctor. You said yourself you could find nothing wrong."

"Something caused it. You've been working a lot lately. Rest is probably the best thing for you, at this point."

"I don't think you understand, Doctor," Squall said. He was past friendly, now. He would be doing well to manage civil. "The Galbadian ambassador is coming today. Do you know how bad it will look if I'm not there?"

"Everyone gets sick, Commander. I'm sure he will understand."

Squall gritted his teeth. Was this woman dense?! "This is the _Galbadian _ambassador. He will understand _nothing_."

All she did was sigh. "My order is final, Squall. You are on medical leave until I say otherwise. You are not to leave the Garden alone or go to the training room. Is that understood?"

He was trying very hard not to throttle the woman. "Understood," he growled, fists clenched at his side. He turned and left quickly to avoid doing something irrational.

He almost ran into Irvine leaning against the wall, just outside the door. He looked like he had been eavesdropping the whole time. And he wasn't even bothering to hide it.

"Hey, Squall," he greeted with a smile.

What he wouldn't give to be able to wipe that smile off of his face with his fist. He settled for ignoring him and walked by.

"Aww, don't be like that, Squall!"Irvine said, hurrying after him.

Squall picked up his pace. "I don't have the patience for you right now," he informed tersely.

"Squall, we're doing what we think is best for you," Irvine insisted, trying to keep up.

"Am I a child, now?" Squall snapped over his shoulder. A group of students ahead jumped, pressing themselves against the wall to avoid the angry commander. Squall walked past them, Irvine at his heels.

"Of course not, Squall. It's just sometimes you don't know when to take it easy-"

"Stop following me."

"Squall-"

"_Now_, Irvine."

He heard Irvine slow, then stop all together. Satisfied, he allowed himself to assume a comfortable pace and continued on his way. He really didn't have a destination in mind. Without Rinoa, he wasn't much. And without his work, he was nothing.

The only good thing about this whole mess was that he now had time to study that tattoo. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't natural. It could be some form of magic, but he hadn't been to any strange Draw Points recently. The last few spells he had collected were a few firagras and two esunas, and that was over a month ago. Perhaps it had been a spell casted on him. He did fight some rare monsters on his last mission. If that were the case, the odds of the spell being beneficial to his health were slim to none.

Which meant he had better figure it out soon.

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...

Poor Squall. I'm so mean to him.

Ok, I'll make a deal with you guys. You leave at least 10 reviews, and I'll give you a long chapter next time. Deal? :D I am not above bribery X)

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! Well, this is a really short chapter, but to make up for it, the next one is a bit longer than usual, though not as long as it might have been if you had reviewed *hint hint* Ahem, anyways, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: If Final Fantasy was mine, I'd have money. So it only stands to reason that I don't own Final Fantasy. It's not mine.

* * *

He added the finishing touches on the star with his pencil and glanced back at the mirror to double check his picture. He had copied the symbols almost perfectly, along with the intricate star that was stained on his skin. This should do. Maybe the librarian could be able to tell him something just by looking at it. It would certainly save him a lot of time researching.

He put down his pencil and put his face in his hands. His head was killing him. It felt like there was a T-Rexaur inside his skull trying to get out.

He stood up, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes of blotting out the pain. But it only intensified with the movement and he now felt light-headed. He sighed and took a step, but his knees buckled and he pitched forward, landing hard on the carpet. He grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs. When he opened his eyes again, he couldn't see anything.

What was going on?

Squall didn't panic. Years of strict military discipline and many difficult battles had taken such irrational emotions from him long ago. But he was still afraid. This was what happened yesterday morning, in that meeting. It started as a simple headache and ended with him unconscious on the floor. And what happened in between felt very real.

Squall had discovered that fear was a healthy emotion.

He felt light, like he wasn't really there with his own body. But pain was still there, so he had to be there, too.

He heard nothing but silence. He peered into the darkness, looking for something to help him gain his bearings, or explain this. He could feel eyes on him, cold and distant. It reminded him of the look in the Sorceress' eyes that day in the future. Right before he drove _Lionheart_ into her throat.

"Who's there?" Squall asked quietly, pulling himself to his knees. His voice sounded small and didn't bounce back to him, like there were no walls. But he was in his room, wasn't he? Of course there were walls.

He could smell decay and blood.

He screamed as hot fire seared his heart. It felt like someone was twisting a knife through the muscle, tearing it apart from the inside out.

He passed out on the floor.

* * *

She watched silently, wanting to ease Squall's pain, but completely powerless to do so. She wished he would hurry and fully awaken. Squall Leonhart's body and mind wouldn't be able to take much more.

* * *

*gasps* who is this woman?! What does she want?! What did she do to poor Squall?! Who do you think it is? I want to hear your guesses :D

**ShivaLeonhart**: Thank you very much for the encouragement. I'm glad you're interested!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, here's the somewhat long chapter I promised you. For the record, _logos_ is Greek for "language".

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and the Greek language are not mine.

* * *

"Logos?" Squall asked, gripping the desk in front of him hard. He had come to almost an hour ago, and ever since then he couldn't seem to stop shaking. Even keeping his voice steady was turning out to be a chore.

"I'm sure of it," the librarian nodded. "It's an ancient language. Where did you get this?"

"Internet. How ancient?"

"Logos hasn't been spoken in centuries." The tiny woman pushed her glasses further up her nose as she examined the picture Squall had brought to her.

"Can you read it?"

"No, Sir. I would have to do a little research. It wouldn't take very long, since it appears to be one word. I can have it done by this evening, if you would like."

"Do it," he ordered, then turned and left the library on quivering legs.

An ancient language was tattooed on his chest. A language he didn't recognize, much less speak. Logos? It didn't even sound vaguely familiar.

And why couldn't he stop shaking?! He clenched his hands into fists and walked faster. What if one of his friends saw this? He'd never hear the end of-

"Squall!"

He restrained a groan. This was turning out to be one of those days. He pretended not to hear.

"Squall! Hold up!" Irvine called, jogging through the corridor to catch up to the brunet.

Squall didn't slow his pace, but Irvine caught up, none the less. "Hey, Squall," he said in a disapproving tone. "That's not real nice."

Squall didn't deem the remark worthy of a reply.

"Where are you headed?"

"My dorm."

Irvine sounded puzzled. "It's still early in the day. You should go outside and get some air-"

"No thanks."

Irvine was quiet for a moment. "You're still sore, aren't you?"

"You think?" Squall didn't bother to hide his annoyance. Why shouldn't he be sore? He had a headache. He was shaking like someone had casted quiver on his muscles. He couldn't even walk to the library without someone bothering him. And his dear friends, in their infinite wisdom, forced him on medical leave at the worst time possible.

Irvine sighed. "You worked yourself into a panic attack, Squall. What are we supposed to do?"

"Mind your own business," he replied darkly.

(Irvine POV)

It was thankless work he did.

"We can't do that. Not when you're obviously-"

Squall laughed. It wasn't the kind of laugh normal people had. Only Squall could take such a happy sound and make it seem so worn and bitter. It was pretty scary, really. He looked at him, his eyes void of anything resembling happiness, but with a frosty smile on his lips. "Obviously what?" he demanded, daring Irvine to challenge him.

Irvine felt a shiver run down his spine, but pushed forward. He had found that the best way to deal with Squall when he was like this was to act like he wasn't intimidated. "Squall, you and I both know there's something wrong. Either you're overworking yourself, or it's something else."

Squall muttered something Irvine didn't catch. "What was that?" he asked.

Squall didn't repeat himself. He only offered Irvine one of his looks that seemed to be asking to take a hike. Preferably off a cliff.

Irvine sighed. Squall could be so difficult sometimes. Especially when Rinoa wasn't there to reason with him. "Are you coming to lunch?" he asked, deciding to drop the subject for now.

"No."

Irvine frowned. It almost sounded like Squall's voice was shaking. "Why not?"

"I'm not hungry."

It _was_ shaking. On closer inspection, it looked like his hands were trembling, too. "Squall, you're shaking."

"You're hallucinating," he replied without missing a beat. Squall was a good liar, after all.

Irvine shook his head. "No, Squall. What's wrong?"

Squall glared intensely at the wall as if he was hoping to melt it. "Nothing is wrong, Irvine," he growled, stopping in front of his dorm. "Since I'm off duty now, maybe you should go check on Quistis and Xu. They may need help with something." On that note, he keyed open his door and shut it in Irvine's face.

Irvine sighed again. Completely thankless work. He stared at the door for a moment, then turned around and walked back the way he had come, albeit at a much slower pace.

Had Squall always been this difficult? He didn't remember much about him at the orphanage. Two years of having GFs in your head would do that to you, he supposed. He could barely remember the orphanage itself, now.

The cowboy made his way to the mess. He had better report to Quistis. Though he didn't exactly approve of her methods, Quistis usually knew how to deal with Squall. By sending Irvine to talk to him, she could almost always figure out what was up. Of course, that put Irvine directly into the commander's line of fire. But Irvine was okay with that. If it helped Squall out in the end, he really couldn't complain.

The problem with Squall was that he didn't know how to ask for help. Irvine was very aware how strong the man was. He had seen him fight tooth and nail for his comrades. He had seen him dive out into space to save the woman he loved. He had seen him spit in the face of Ultimecia.

But he had also seen him lying on Death's doorstep, broken and torn. Even then, Squall never complained and never asked for help.

Irvine entered the mess, his line of thought interrupted by the dull roar of students and instructors gathered for lunch. He scanned the room for their usual table and only saw Zell and Selphie. Quistis wasn't there.

"Where's Quistis?" Irvine asked after a nod of greeting.

Zell glanced up from his small mountain of hot dogs, his cheeks bulging with food, and uttered something Irvine didn't catch. He turned to Selphie for translation.

"She's with the ambassador. He called about some emergency in his room," Selphie explained, looking repulsed, though whether it was at mention of the ambassador or by Zell's table manners, Irvine wasn't sure.

The cowboy frowned. "Didn't he just get here?" he asked, seating himself opposite of them.

"About an hour ago," Selphie informed, taking a bite of her salad. "And he hasn't stopped complaining since. He's got Quisty and Xu jumping through hoops for him. He's real mad Squall wasn't there to meet him. He keeps rambling about 'the commander of Balamb thinks he's too good for him' or something," she rolled her eyes. "What a jerk."

Zell nodded in agreement. "Squall really should be thanking us," he informed after swallowing. "Now he doesn't have to put up with that creep."

"Actually, he probably thinks Quistis and Xu deserve it for forcing him on leave," Irvine stated, spinning one of Selphie's eating utensils. "Zell, it's your turn to watch Squall tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Uh, no. I volunteered to help Quistis out with her class while she helps deal with Squall's work."

Irvine's eyes narrowed. "You did that on purpose."

Zell only offered a cheeky grin.

Irvine shifted his gaze to Selphie. "Selph?" he asked.

She shook her head. "The Festival Committee's meeting right after I get out of my classes. I really don't have time." At least she had the decency to sound sincerely sorry.

He sighed. Such good friends. Always there when he needed a hand. "Thanks a lot, guys."

"No problem," Zell assured without remorse.

"Exactly."

"Sorry, Irvy," Selphie said, wagging a finger in his face. "That's what you get for not being enrolled in Balamb."

"And why should I?" he asked. "I already graduated Galbadia. Why would I want more homework and classes with you two miscreants?"

Selphie batted her eyes innocently. "Me? A miscreant?"

"You Galbadians have it so easy," Zell whined. "We have a whole year of classes left, even after we pass the field exam…"

"Zell's right," Selphie complained, with what Irvine thought was a very cute pout on her lips. "Why do you guys not have to take as many classes?"

"It must be due to our higher intellects," Irvine speculated playfully. He continued before Selphie could interrupt him with an indignant remark. "At any rate, I think Squall's sick or something."

"In the head?" Zell asked.

Selphie whacked him in the back of his skull with a spoon. "Be nice!"

"Ouch!" Zell gave her a murderous glare marred by a wince. He massaged his head. "Selphie-"

She didn't give him a chance to retaliate. She slipped out her seat and gave him an impish grin, then ran off.

"Come back here!" Zell shouted, scrambling after her.

Irvine massaged his temples. Completely thankless work.

* * *

I kind of enjoy writing from Irvine's point of view. It's a nice break from Squall angst XD

Questions? Comments? Leave a review :D

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	7. Chapter 7

Hey people! So, if you haven't noticed, I'm going to try to update about once a week, because I'm nice like that :D

**Kurosukai: **Thank you for your reviews and your help :D It is much appreciated.

Disclaimer: Despite how much I wish it, Final Fantasy isn't mine.

* * *

Squall looked both ways before venturing from his dorm out into the hallway. He frowned and immediately berated himself for being so paranoid. Irvine couldn't possibly be stalking him. That was ridiculous. The man had better things to do than to lurk outside Squall's room and try to-

"Hey Squall!"

Squall almost chocked on the air he had just inhaled. He slowly turned his lethal gaze on the cowboy currently walking down the hall towards him. "What. Do. You. _Want_?" his voice was deathly calm.

Brief fear flickered across Irvine's features, much to Squall's satisfaction. "Uh, nothing. Just saying hello. Is that a bad thing?"

Squall didn't answer. He just glared at him.

Irvine twitched uncomfortably. "Um, I'm going to the mess…if you want to come…?"

Squall willed ever ounce of his irritation into a single word. "_No_."

"Uh, alright." Irvine shifted his weight. "Um, I guess I'll be going now," he tried.

Squall didn't say a word.

"…bye…?"

"…"

With a final glance, Irvine slipped by Squall and continued down the hall. Squall glowered at his back until he was out of sight, and still stared after him until his footsteps finally faded away.

He locked his door behind him and lifted a shaky hand to the bridge of his nose. Hopefully the librarian was finished with the translation. He wanted to pick it up, then come back to his room and lie down. His head felt like it was going to split in two.

His trip to the library was mostly uneventful. He was very grateful he hadn't run across anyone he really knew, just a few students that nodded in greeting. He gave a polite nod in return. Rinoa would have been proud. He was actually being somewhat friendly.

He stepped into the library, dodging a girl carrying a load of books as he entered. The squeal of the door closing behind him sent a fresh wave of pain through his head and he winced. He needed some aspirin or something. There was no way he could sleep like this.

"Commander!"

He flinched. That woman's voice was too high. He turned to see the librarian run up to him, a paper clutched in her hand. "Here it is!" she announced brightly.

Squall tried very hard not to lash out and to at least appear thankful, despite the undue amount of pain her vocal chords were causing him. "Thank you," he accepted it from her and glanced at it. He couldn't help but say the word out loud. "Marked?"

"Yes, it really wasn't too hard to translate," the woman said. "I just had to look-"

"Thank you," Squall interrupted, walking off. He left her there, still staring after him with a bemused expression plastered on her face.

Marked? What could that mean? Marked for what? By what? What would be the purpose of placing a symbol on his chest that stated it was there to set him apart? Why would he need to be set apart? This couldn't be a spell. He had never heard of such a thing.

'_I'm thinking too hard,'_ Squall thought, raising his hand to his brow. _'I'm missing something, here. There's got to be some logical reason for it.'_

He arrived at his room, more pained than when he left it. His confusion and uncertainty only fueled his irritation. He glared sullenly at his computer, worthless research piled high on his desk. He had searched every spell known to man and nothing had said anything about the symptoms he was experiencing. What was left to him? What else could he possibly do that hadn't already been done? Was he just to wait it out?

For now, he would sleep. Maybe in the morning he would have a better idea.

* * *

Squall didn't sleep well that night. His dreams were plagued by unfamiliar battles with unfamiliar people. Nothing seemed normal. Even his weapon was different. In almost all of his dreams, he fought with his _Lionheart_. This weapon was strange, enormous broadsword Squall didn't recognize. In his dream, it was incredibly heavy, but the balance somehow felt right in his hands.

He knew he had been fighting alongside several people, but he didn't recognize them and he didn't remember much about them. He only knew that they were there and that he was thankful for it.

He couldn't remember much about his enemy, either. All he could recall was the gleam of insanity in his eyes. There was nothing but power lust and hatred under a layer of ice.

He woke up feeling even more drained than when he had gone to sleep. His head was pounding and his limbs were still shaking. How was he supposed to function like this? There was no way he'd be allowed back to work in the state he was in.

He wished Rinoa was back. Of all the times to become deathly ill, why did her father pick now? And Rinoa hated him, anyways. Why was she over there and not here with...

'_Shut up,'_ he hissed at himself. He was acting like a child now. He hated feeling so dependent on anyone. He didn't _need _Rinoa, per se. He didn't _need_ any of them. They could be nice company, and, on the rare occasion, helpful. That was all.

He stood up slowly from his bed. This couldn't go on. He would have to do something about it. But he couldn't go to Kadowaki. He needed to resolve this outside of the Garden. If it was something that might prevent him from returning to being Commander of Balamb Garden, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

He carefully made his way to his computer and switched it on. There were some fairly well renowned doctors in Esthar. Perhaps that was a good place to start. Once the machine was running, he pulled up a search engine and began to look for a suitable clinic.

He suddenly thought of a problem. He couldn't go off base alone. Who was he going to get to go with him? Quistis was out of the question. She had the infuriating tendency to try to act like his mother, not to mention she had her hands full with the ambassador. The thought brought a smirk to his lips. Served her right.

He certainly couldn't bring Selphie. Even if she wasn't busy with her Festival Committee, her animated, unrestrained nature was enough to drive him off the deep end. Zell was much the same. He had too much energy for Squall to take on alone.

Irvine? He was the only logical choice. He was capable of silence, he generally could take the hint to shut up, and he, much like Squall, liked to be alone.

Squall sighed. One way or another, this would be a long trip. May as well try to make it as painless as possible.

* * *

A lazy knock at the door pulled Squall from his thoughts. He rose from his desk and opened the door to admit Irvine into his room.

"Hey, Squall," he greeted, looking mildly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. I have a favor to ask, Irvine," Squall admitted. He had to be careful here. If Irvine overreacted, Quistis would find out, which meant Kadowaki would find out, which meant it would be a big pain. One he wasn't willing to suffer through.

"Shoot," Irvine said, seating himself at Squall's desk and clasping his hands behind his head.

"I have an appointment with a doctor in Esthar. I would like you to accompany me there."

Irvine blinked. "Come again?"

He resisted the urge to role his eyes. Was it so hard to believe he would go to a doctor by choice? "I'm going to a doctor in Esthar. I would like you to come with me, since I can't leave the base alone."

"Why are you asking me?" the sharpshooter asked, his bewilderment clear on his face.

"Quistis will be busy, and Selphie and Zell have classes."

Irvine nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Alright. Why are you going to a doctor? Why not go to Kadowaki?"

"She couldn't find anything wrong," Squall explained carefully.

"So you admit there's something wrong?"

Squall only offered a glare in way of reply.

"Okay, um, what's been going on?" Irvine tried.

"You know what's been going on," Squall growled. What sick pleasure did Irvine get from this? It wasn't like he didn't realize something was amiss.

"I don't know the extent of any of it. You don't tell us anything, Squall. It's hard to piece this stuff together," the cowboy explained patiently.

For some reason, his patience annoyed Squall. "Are you coming, or should I find someone else?"

"I'm coming," Irvine assured him hurriedly.

"Fine. We leave tomorrow afternoon. Don't tell anyone why we're going to Esthar."

Irvine cocked his head. "Alright. What do I say if someone asks?"

"Tell them we're going to a funeral," Squall supplied, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

Irvine frowned. "Whose?"

"A friend of a friend."

"That's the best you've got?" Irvine asked, dissatisfied. "Quistis will never buy that."

Squall arched an eyebrow in challenge. "Do you have something better?"

Irvine thought a moment, then finally relented, "No."

"She doesn't have to buy it. She just doesn't need to know the real reason," Squall explained. "Once I get it sorted out, I can go back to work. And you can stop following me."

"I haven't been following you," Irvine protested indignantly.

Squall gave him a questioning look.

"…fine, I have. But it's not like I've been following you everywhere or anything." He suddenly frowned. "What's wrong with your chest?"

Squall immediately halted the circular motion of his hand and dropped it to his side. He hadn't even realized he had been massaging his heart, right over the tattoo. For some reason or another, it just ached. "Nothing's wrong with my chest. It's up here," he touched a finger to his forehead. His head still throbbed mercilessly.

"Thanks for stopping by, Irvine. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, hinting it was time for Irvine to get out of his room.

Irvine sighed and rose. "Alright, Squall. Good night," he said, stepping out the door.

Squall shut it behind him and went back to his desk. That had gone better than expected.

* * *

I realize this was a somewhat boring chapter, but it is kind of necessary. We'll hopefully get to the good stuff soon 8)

Thanks for reading! God Bless!

-RainFlame


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! So, I like how I said I'd update once a week, then the week after I don't update ._. I apologize, but my week/weekend was packed due to a stage production. I'm sure those of you in theater understand. Again, sorry. I did say I would try...

**Kurosukai: **Thanks again for the help/encouragement/editing :D It is much appreciated.

On with the fic!

Disclaimer: It's not mine.

* * *

Irvine knew Squall wasn't well. That was perfectly obvious. He passed out randomly, seemed to have more headaches than normal, and now his body almost constantly trembled.

But Irvine noted that his condition, whatever it was, was now manifesting itself in the form of personality changes. Squall was more impatient than usual and seemed to be becoming easily angered.

Like now.

"What do you mean they can't ride with the passengers?" Squall demanded of the man, giving him a look that could melt steel.

The employee shifted nervously. He glanced off to the side to avoid looking at the commander. "I- I'm sorry, sir, but we don't permit weapons in passenger areas! They'll have to ride in cargo!" he squeaked.

"I am a trained SeeD and authorized to carry a weapon."

"But you're travelling as a civilian! Civilian's aren't authorized to carry them!"

Irvine saw Squall's hand tighten around the case of his _Lionheart_. "My weapon does _not_ ride with cargo," he hissed dangerously, leaning forward in a threatening manner.

Irvine had never seen Squall act like this. He placed a warning hand on Squall's shoulder but he shrugged it off without breaking eye contact with the frightened employee. "Squall…" Irvine began.

"Shut up, Irvine," the man snarled, still staring his victim down. "Now, I'm sure there's something that can be done, isn't there?" Squall hinted with a warning of his own.

The poor man twitched. "Ye-yes…I-I'll…just let me check with uh, with security…" the man scrambled away, out of Squall's reach, supposedly in search of security. More likely it was just to escape the incensed commander.

Squall watched him leave with a contemptuous look. Irvine carefully tried again. "Squall, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

"No," he replied in an icy tone. "Let's go," he turned on his heel and headed for the ferry boat.

"Wait, he just said-"

"I'm not deaf, Irvine," Squall snapped. "I know what he said. I also don't care."

Irvine hoisted up his bag and resituated his gun case over his shoulder then hurried after Squall. "We're going to get in trouble for this," he announced glumly.

"Then stay here," Squall bit back over his shoulder.

Irvine sighed. This was going to be a very unpleasant trip, what with Squall's attitude being what it was. "Squall," Irvine said, dodging a woman juggling her child and two suit cases, "are you alright?"

Irvine could only imagine the annoyed look on the commander's face, for he could only see his back. "I have just discovered I have an adverse reaction to stupidity. Other than that, I'm fine," he replied listlessly, walking up the ramp and onboard the ferry. Irvine hurried after him and followed him down the crowded aisles to their appointed seats. Irvine waited for Squall to toss his near empty duffel bag in the storage bin and allowed him to take the window seat. The boat would probably be a safer place if most of the passengers were out of his reach. Irvine also placed his bag up top and slid his weapon under his seat beside Squall's.

(Squall POV)

He couldn't take it any longer. He pulled his hand to his chest and held it there, trying to ease the pain with pressure. It felt like his very heart was trying to escape him by tearing through his rib cage and the muscle and skin above. Every beat brought with it horrible pain, like his heart was covered in spikes that drilled into all that surrounded it. It was agonizing.

"Squall?" Irvine asked quietly from his side.

He opened eyes he hadn't realized he shut and glanced at him. "What?" he snapped. He realized he was being irrational. He knew he was being cruel. He knew his temper, something that, despite his impatience, he really never had a problem with, was out of control. He knew all of this. He also knew that this new pain, this new affliction that had only begun to torment him this morning, was completely unbearable. He had to burn it off somehow, and it appeared to be venting by way of bitter words and hateful glares.

"What's wrong with your chest?" Irvine inquired. He seemed to be trying to keep his voice soft for some reason, like if he spoke too loud, Squall might attack him.

This made Squall feel guilty, which ended up only angering him more. Why was Irvine doing this? He knew to leave Squall alone. He knew very well Squall didn't want to talk. He just wanted to send his pain away. "It hurts, Irvine," he said in a condescending tone, like he was talking to a particularly slow child.

Irvine, good natured that he was, didn't take offense. Squall was mildly disappointed. "How does it hurt? Do you need something? I have some aspirin in my bag-"

"Aspirin doesn't help," Squall said in a biting tone. "Nothing helps, which is why we're going to Esthar."

Irvine gave him a sympathetic look. "Let me know if I can get you anything."

Blast him and his stupid patience! It was just annoying! "Whatever," he growled, holding both hands to his chest now.

The captain made an announcement Squall didn't bother listening to, then the boat set sail. The up and down motion did nothing for Squall's pain. It only added to his headache, and now his stomach was also expressing displeasure, which was very odd, because Squall never got seasick.

He was going to be sick.

He rose quickly and stepped past Irvine, ignoring his calls, and made his way outside to the back of the ferry to the small viewing deck, where he proceeded to throw his breakfast to the sea.

He hoped and prayed with all of his might that Irvine had the decency to not follow him. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, sweat pouring down his brow, vomit clinging to his chin, limbs shaking.

When his stomach finally calmed, he slid down to the deck, resting his head against the cool railing. He could smell the salt in the air and focused on it, allowing the familiarity of it to calm him. He watched the waves roll around the ferry and the white water that briefly marked the boat's passage.

Heavy steps on the deck interrupted the tranquil moment. He didn't turn around to see who was behind him because he already knew. That man was hopeless.

A gloved hand appeared in his face, offering a glass of water. Squall accepted it without a word and sipped its contents, allowing it to wash away some of the bile left in his mouth.

"You're in bad shape, Squall," Irvine sighed, coming up beside him and leaning against the railing, one foot propped up.

Squall didn't bother to answer for fear of lashing out again. He was starting to feel guilty once more.

"I guess you realize that, though. Why else would you make your own doctor's appointment?" he added teasingly, a half smile on his lips. When Squall still didn't reply, he sighed. "Rinoa called me this morning. She said you wouldn't answer her call."

"I didn't want to yell at her," Squall admitted to the water. "I know I'm not keeping my temper in check today."

Irvine nodded. "Makes sense. I didn't tell her you were sick. I figured you would want to find out what was wrong first. I did tell her we were going to Esthar. I promised to have you call her when we got there," he hinted.

Squall only nodded in acknowledgement. That was the least he could do for her. "Did she say anything about her father?"

"She said he's still in the hospital, but he's looking a bit better."

"Good." Rinoa still loved the dirt bag she called her father, even if she tried to act like she hated him. No matter how much he despised the man personally, he wanted him healthy for her sake."Did she say when she might be coming back?"

"No," Irvine shook his head. "She said she's not sure, but she hopes it'll be within the month."

A _month_? She'd already been gone two long weeks! He resisted the urge to groan.

"But it won't be so bad," Irvine continued as if sensing his thoughts on the subject.

Squall was of a different opinion, but didn't say anything.

(Irvine POV)

Irvine sighed as he stared out over the water. Squall certainly wasn't very talkative today. Well, not that he really ever was talkative, per se, but at least he usually responded to direct statements, if for no other reason than to deny them.

A thump on the deck caused him to look down to his friend and his breath caught in his throat.

Squall was lying on the ground, seizing. His eyes had rolled back into his skull and his body was convulsing like lightening was running through him. His glass of water had spilled and lay forgotten on the deck beside him.

"Squall!" he cried, throwing himself on the ground beside him. He pulled him away from the side of the ship and rolled him on his side. Squall jerked from his grasp as he continued to spasm. It sounded like he was choking, which only added to Irvine's panic.

Irvine was at a loss what to do. He had an epileptic friend once in Galbadia, but he had never actually witnessed a seizure. He darted to the doorway and threw open the door. "Is anyone a doctor?!" he demanded of the stunned passengers, glancing behind him to make sure Squall wasn't moving towards the edge of the boat. "There's a man having a seizure. I need some help!" He noticed the note of hysteria his voice was taking.

No one stood up.

Irvine growled and slammed the door before returning to Squall's side. He positioned himself between the commander and the railing of the ship and just watched. That was all he could do.

An eternity later, Squall became still. Irvine was immediately on his feet. "Squall?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice calm. He crouched down beside the man and brushed his dark hair from his face. His eyes were closed. "Squall? Can you hear me?"

A sliver of ice blue became visible as Squall's eye opened a bit. "Mff," he mumbled, then closed it again.

"No, Squall, wake up. Come on, I need to make sure you're okay," Irvine pleaded. Should he move him? Was it safe? Should he try to keep him awake?

The eye opened again, a bit wider this time. The other followed and a frown soon crossed his face. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice groggy but still sounding annoyed.

Irvine sighed in relief. Squall was still Squall. That was a good sign. "Do you know what happened?"

Squall looked confused for a moment as he took in his new position on the floor. "You shoved me on the floor?"

Irvine smirked. "No, Squall. You had some kind of seizure. Think it's okay for me to move you?"

Squall just frowned again and pulled himself up into a sitting position, ignoring Irvine's objection and warning hand. He wiped away a trail of saliva that clung at the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and glared at his arm. "Seizure?" he asked aloud.

Irvine wasn't sure what to say. "Let's get you inside and out of the sun," he suggested.

Despite Squall's protests, Irvine managed to help him up, then walked behind him back to his seat. His body was still trembling, but there didn't seem to be any lasting effects from the seizure.

What the heck was going on?

* * *

Aww. Poor Squall. I really do love him, even if it doesn't show ;)

Thanks again for reading, please review, and God Bless!

-RainFlame


	9. Chapter 9

Hello! Hope you guys are having an amazing week. Here's chapter nine for you! :D

**jibril: **Thanks for the encouragement! It's nice to get feedback on these things.

**Kurosukai: **I am not formal...well, maybe a little...but thanks for another lovely editing job. Or hard core editing job, if you want less formal X)

Disclaimer: Of course Final Fantasy isn't mine.

* * *

Squall led Irvine from the hotel out onto the moving sidewalks of Esthar. He had always hated Esthar. It was too big and too noisy. Nothing ever stayed still, people were always moving. The steel and cement seemed cold and ridged, while the bright colors suggested otherwise. Everything was confusion.

Then there was the fact that the planet considered him something of a hero. He had almost been mauled on the parade President Laguna insisted was necessary. Ever since then, he had held a special hatred for the citizens of Esthar.

He really hoped they wouldn't recognize him. He had gone out of his way to purchase clothing that allowed him to blend in. Instead of his favored black, he wore dark jeans, white t-shirt, and a plain jacket. But somehow, the clothing made him feel less intimidating, like he had lost a part of himself. He felt uncomfortable and exposed.

Irvine drew up beside him and leaned himself against the sidewalk's railing. Apparently he also wanted to avoid a mob, for he had adorned similar, nondescript attire. He looked strange without his trademark hat. "You okay?"

That question was really starting to get on his nerves. He had heard it at least ten times a day since this whole mess began. "Fine. Stop asking."

"Sorry," Irvine mumbled. "Where is this clinic?"

"A couple of blocks west," he informed, scanning the crowd warily. He hated crowds.

'_You hate a lot of things.'_

"No I don't," Squall growled at Irvine.

The voice that responded sounded confused. "You don't what?"

"I don't hate a lot of things."

"I didn't say that. And yes, you do," he added.

Squall turned his head to get a better look at Irvine's face. There wasn't a hint of mischief in his expression. "Must have been someone else." As an afterthought, he added, "And I don't."

Irvine smirked. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Squall scowled, but didn't reply. It was pointless, anyways.

"Your temper is better today. Maybe you should call Rin," he suggested.

"After the appointment." He was anxious as it was. He didn't feel like trying to convince Rinoa that he was just here for a funeral. There were days she could see right through him.

Irvine nodded in understanding. "You look better today," he commented.

Squall grunted in agreement, stepping off of the sidewalk and onto stable ground before boarding another walkway. It was a bit annoying. The day he's feeling better is the day he has his doctor's appointment. After enduring two seizures in public, three in private, and passing out seven times. Life just wasn't fair that way.

'_That's how it goes.'_

Squall turned his head. Irvine didn't look like he had said anything.

The cowboy arched an eyebrow in question. "Yes?"

"Did you just say something?"

Irvine cocked his head to the side. "No. Don't tell me you're hearing voices now, Squall."

"Don't be ridiculous," he growled.

"What did the voices say?" Irvine inquired, his tone teasing, but his green eyes showed a hint of concern.

"…Never mind. It was probably someone passing by," he shrugged it off. He was becoming paranoid.

(Irvine's POV)

Irvine stared at the back of Squall's head as they made their way down a street without a moving sidewalk. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this. Could Squall be right and it just be some passerby? Or might it actually be inside his own head? Stranger things have happened. Time travel, for instance.

Squall paused before a store front. Some kind of medicinal store with shelves of potions and ethers. Next to it was what advertised to be a clinic. Squall almost seemed wary of it, the way he slowed and glanced around before stepping inside.

Irvine followed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The man went ridged under his touch, like he had just thrown a lightening spell at him. Irvine looked for the cause and found it sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, a newspaper spread over his lap, flanked on either side by a bored looking guard.

"Squall!" Laguna cried, a huge smile breaking over his face, though concern lurked in his green eyes. He quickly rose to greet his son.

Squall looked like he was about to rip something apart. He turned his lethal gaze on Irvine, who was immediately grateful the _Lionheart_ was back at the hotel. Irvine gave a sheepish shrug in response. He figured Laguna would want to see his son if he was in town.

With a look that promised pain and anguish later, Squall turned to meet Laguna with icy formality. "President Loire," he greeted without a trace of warmth. And just to make sure he was as unwelcomed as possible, Squall crossed his arms.

Laguna's smile only faltered slightly before he stepped up and wrapped his arms around the commander. Irvine was certain it felt like snuggling a glacier. Squall used this opportunity to drill holes in Irvine's skull with his eyes. He firmly removed Laguna from the embrace. "Can I help you, Mr. President?"

Laguna didn't quite manage to hide the hurt in his eyes. "Please, Squall. Call me Laguna. Or-"

"Very well. Mr. Laguna," Squall continued, not wanting to hear the other option. "Is there something I can help you with?" Irvine could sense something of a threat under that veil of diplomacy.

"I'm just here to see you," he beamed. "When Irvine called and said you were in town, I dropped everything and came down. Needless to say Kiros wasn't too thrilled, but he'll be fine," Laguna said.

Irvine found Laguna fascinating like that. No matter Squall's cold indifference, Laguna kept coming back, kept trying to break through. His persistence was commendable, if futile. Irvine didn't see the wall coming down anytime soon.

"Well, I think your bags are being picked up as we speak, so-"

"What do you mean?" Squall demanded sharply.

Laguna frowned. "Irvine didn't tell you? Well, you don't expect me to let my own son stay in a hotel when you could just stay at my place. Especially if you're sick." There was new concern in his voice at this.

"No thank you," Squall growled, cutting his eyes at Irvine, then back. Irvine saw the threat clearly now.

Laguna's eyebrows drew together. "What?"

"I said _'No thank you'_," Squall repeated darkly.

"Our bags have already been moved, Squall," Irvine said, careful to keep his tone indifferent. Squall didn't need to know that Irvine actually sympathized with Laguna. Not to mention if Squall had to have some kind of major surgery, recovery in a hotel would be far from comfortable.

Squall communicated very well with his eyes. Irvine could almost hear him screaming 'shut up'. He glanced back to the President. "We won't be in Esthar long-"

"Unless you have to be treated for something," Laguna pointed out. "Besides, you'll be more comfortable there than in a hotel."

"A hotel is fine," Squall insisted, but Irvine could tell his resistance was starting to cave. Despite feeling better than he had, he was tired and run down. The diplomatic arguing was wearing on him. Trying to be respectful and hateful at the same time was hard.

Laguna was relentless, though. He probably sensed that this was a rare opportunity for him to get to know his estranged son. "Squall, come on. Be reasonable. It would be cheaper, more convenient, and I can guarantee my TV gets more channels," he smiled.

Squall turned away, drawing his hand up to massage the bridge of his nose. "I don't think this is necessary."

(Laguna POV)

Laguna couldn't help feeling this was the reaction he deserved. He knew why Squall hated him. After all, he had been the one abandoned at an orphanage while Laguna was off in Esthar. He knew he was lucky Squall would even be in the same room with him. But he wanted the opportunity to apologize, to try to make things better. "It's no problem at all, Squall. I'm not even there half the day." _'If that makes it more appealing.' _Laguna could settle for a few hours with his son.

Squall didn't reply. Laguna waited with baited breath, but nothing came. "Squall?" he asked.

His heart stopped as he watched his son collapse on the ground. "Squall!" he screamed, running forward.

Irvine was already there, rolling Squall on his back. "Squall?" he asked, sounding painfully composed. Laguna wanted to slap him for it.

In his panic, Laguna turned and ran to the desk. The nurse was already talking frantically on the phone, asking the doctor to come down immediately. Since that was being taken care of, Laguna returned to Squall's side. "Do you know what's going on?!" he demanded. Squall looked so still and so pale…

Irvine turned his calm gaze to the president. "I told you he passes out a lot. It could be some kind of heart condition, if I were to take a guess."

"Excuse me," a voice called from behind. Irvine backed up to give the medical staff room to load Squall onto a stretcher for transportation. When Laguna didn't move, he felt Irvine's hand pull him back. He allowed Irvine to set him in a chair beside one of his guards as his son was wheeled away behind two windowless double doors.

Laguna was having a hard time gathering his thoughts. "Irvine?" he asked in a hollow voice.

"Yes?"

"I want to know what's going on."

* * *

Squall is so mean to his poor padre *pats Laguna*. Well, next time, maybe we'll have some hard core family feud :]

Thanks for reading, and please review! Let me know if you have any ideas for this. All I have is the basic plot going here.

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	10. Chapter 10

Hello to all! Well, in a sudden rush of productivity, along with this chapter, I have also posted a FFVII oneshot :D Go have a look, if you're interested, and leave a review ^^

**Kurosukai: **Thanks again. I don't know what I'd do without you!

**jibril: **Haha um, well...can't answer that quite yet... Thanks for the review, though! :D

* * *

Laguna entered Squall's room, Irvine close behind, and seated himself at his bedside.

"So, that's basically it," Irvine finished the story, taking the chair on the other side of the bed, slouching and reaching for a hat that wasn't there. With a small grunt, he dropped his hand to his knee. "He almost looks peaceful when he's out cold," he commented when Laguna didn't respond.

Laguna looked at his son's face and couldn't help but agree. In his sleep, the shadows seemed less defined, and the near-constant frown was smoothed. He looked ten years younger, like the teenager he was supposed to be. "He looks thin. Has he been eating?" he glanced at Irvine.

The cowboy's eyebrows drew together in thought. "Come to think of it, he hasn't been going to the mess the past few days. That doesn't mean he hasn't been getting food, but probably not enough."

Laguna was a bit irked. They all had known Squall wasn't well, and yet hadn't even bothered to monitor something as simple as his food intake? He didn't say anything, though. Irvine seemed to be trying more than anyone to help Squall. He was appreciative of that, at least.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Laguna asked.

Irvine shook his head. "It seems to get longer every time. Last time it was fifteen minutes. Shouldn't be long now, though. It's been at least ten."

Laguna nodded. He didn't have much more time. He gingerly reached out and took Squall's hand. His skin was icy. "He hates me," he stated in a weak voice.

Irvine seemed to take his time formulating a response. "He's a hard man to get to know, and he really doesn't like many people."

"But I've actually hurt him," he murmured, brushing the boy's bangs from his eyes. Boy. Squall wasn't a boy anymore. Laguna had missed that portion of his life. Squall was a man, now. "Not that he'll admit it, though." What really gave him the right to be here now?

"President Loire-"

"Laguna, please."

"…Laguna, you're his father. No matter how much he denies it or how much he doesn't want it, that won't change. He just hasn't realized how lucky he is."

Laguna snorted in a self-depreciating manner. "Lucky that he was abandoned?"

"You had no way of knowing he was born. And I say lucky because not every orphan finds their parents, and those that do aren't as well off as Squall is."

Laguna looked up. "Do you wish you knew who your parents were?"

This time, Irvine snorted, a cynical smile on his lips. "I used to. Until I found out. I was better off without knowing."

Laguna raised an eyebrow in question, but further comment was forestalled when Squall's hand suddenly tore itself from his grip. Laguna turned to meet Squall's frosty glare with a bit of surprise. He hadn't even twitched in warning.

(Squall POV)

What was wrong with this man?! What part of 'no' was he having trouble with?! And holding his _hand_?!!!

"Get out of my room," Squall hissed in a voice full of venom. He didn't have the patience to deal with diplomacy. His head was about to explode and his heart was trying to claw its way out of his chest.

Laguna only winced slightly. "Squall, I-"

"Now."

The president closed his mouth and rose. He slipped out of the door and closed it gently behind him.

Irvine sighed to his left. Squall tossed a glare his way while he brought his hand to his chest. He was relieved to see that it wasn't bare. He wasn't quite ready for the conversation his new tattoo would provide. He was also relieved that they hadn't bothered removing his clothes. His pride wouldn't allow for Laguna to see him in a hospital gown.

"You could _try_ to be nice," Irvine pointed out bluntly. When Squall didn't bother with a response, he continued. "Are you okay?"

"No, Irvine," he answered, holding his heart with one hand and his head with the other.

The cowboy seemed a bit stunned by an answer other than 'fine'. "I'll go get the doctor." He stood up and left the room.

"_It will get worse until it gets better."_

Squall stiffened, his eyes racing across the room. There was no one there. No one could have said that. That left his head as the only possible source. Which meant he was losing his mind. Wonderful.

"_That's not it at all."_

'Then explain,' he demanded. Now that he paused to observe, the voice didn't seem to have a distinguishable gender. It didn't sound at all familiar.

There was a pause. _"When the time is right."_

'What does that mean?' Squall asked. There was no response.

…Squall was talking to himself.

He massaged the bridge of his nose. This whole thing was completely absurd.

* * *

Squall despised his luck. The doctor had said he couldn't find anything evidently wrong, but his test results wouldn't be completed for two days.

Two days in President Loire's house, with only Irvine to provide a fragment of sanity. And he used that term very loosely.

He was eager to leave the limousine, if only to escape the nearness of Laguna, but he had no desire to enter the small, gaited mansion. He followed the President like a man headed for the gallows. This was about the last place he wanted to be. He didn't want Laguna of all people to see him how he was now, weak with exhaustion and randomly seizing and passing out. It was humiliating enough in front of Irvine.

"Welcome to my house!" Laguna smiled broadly with an enthusiasm Squall found both childish and irritating. He watched with a sense of dread as Laguna keyed open his door, pushing it open to allow the two men in before him.

They were admitted into a spacious entrance with a broad staircase nearby, leading to the upper floor. Laguna flipped on the lights, and when his eyes adjusted, Squall observed a living room area with modern furniture to his right, while to his left there was what looked like a large office, with a kitchen beyond it. The house was decorated in an assortment of bright colors that only served to worsen Squall's headache. Not even the carpet was a normal color. Instead of classic beige or tan, it was a vibrant shade of green.

President Loire had absolutely no taste.

He prayed whatever room he was staying in wouldn't be this bright and painful.

He and Irvine followed Laguna through a small tour of his house. Irvine looked a bit interested in the strange décor Laguna claimed to be popular in Esthar. Squall, on the other hand, felt like he would collapse any moment, like he had been running for hours. His body quivered, his head and heart throbbed pitilessly. He wanted nothing more than to try to sleep and blot out this misery.

"Squall?"

He looked up to meet Laguna's gaze. His scowl deepened. "What?"

Laguna frowned slightly. "You look pale."

He refused to show any weakness to this man. "I'm fine." He saw Irvine's troubled look from behind Laguna. Irvine knew Squall enough to know he wasn't fine.

"Well, I don't know about Squall," Irvine began, "but I'm beat. Where can we crash?"

Laguna looked at the cowboy knowingly. "Up here," he said, leading the two SeeDs upstairs and to a large guest room. It was all in shades of blue and black, much to Squall's relief. Their bags and weapons' cases had been placed on one of the two beds.

"The bathroom's right there," he pointed to a door on the far side. "There are towels under the sink." He stood in the doorway for a moment, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Squall silently pleaded for him to leave. "Um, I guess just let me know if there's anything you need."

"Will do," Irvine assured him, sitting himself on the edge of the far bed.

Laguna paused for another minute, allowing Squall time to consider slamming the door in his face. "Well, goodnight," he murmured, his eyes resting on Squall's before he turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

Squall immediately sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands, allowing his arms to hold his chest.

"Squall?"

"I'll be fine, Irvine. I was just…standing too long or something."

"You didn't eat much of your dinner," he commented.

Why did he have to be so observant all the time? "No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because…?"

"Not hungry."

Irvine sighed. "Squall, you have to eat to keep your strength up."

"Food makes me sick," he admitted quietly.

The cowboy paused on hearing this. "You don't actually throw it up, though, do you?" When Squall shook his head, he continued, "Then you should probably try to eat anyways."

Squall didn't reply. This wasn't anything new to him. Eating had just become something of a chore recently. He got to his feet slowly and made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He turned on the lights and glanced at the figure in the mirror.

He did a double take. For a moment, his eyes looked a glowing aqua color. Upon closer observation, however, they were the same shade of ice blue they had always been.

He shook his head. He was really starting to lose it.

* * *

Okay, with luck, after the next chapter things will start rolling.

I pray you all have a blessed week! Hope things go well for you all.

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	11. Chapter 11

Hey! Okay, as promised, this is where things start moving. I started this chapter right after posting the last, because I thought it would take me forever. On the contrary, it kind of took a life of it's own. It moved really fast! So, I had to post it. For you guys. Y'all can thank me by leaving a review ^-^ *hint hint*

**Kurosukai: **Haha he's not anorexic! He's just not hungry... And that's alright, I always enjoy your reviews :D Thanks for editing again XD And, on a side note, your review on my oneshot was very nice. Thank you ^-^

**jibril: **Poor Squall. So run-down that he's being kind of nice... I think you will enjoy this chapter, though ;D

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: **Nope, not Raine. We will soon find out XD And Rinoa will show up soon, I think...I hope...

Disclaimer: No, Final Fantasy isn't mine -sniff- I'll be okay, though...

Note: I'm assuming we all know that Raine died in childbirth, and if we don't, we do now ^-^

On we gooooo!

* * *

Squall woke up with a terrible headache and a painful throbbing in his heart. It seemed to be worsening as the days went by.

He sat up and glanced at the empty bed on the other side of the room. He didn't even hear Irvine get up that morning. Judging by the sun, it was probably late afternoon, which was odd. Squall usually woke up very early.

He rubbed his temples. He had had a very strange dream again, but he had mostly forgotten it. All he could recall was a small town on fire and an anguished scream…

Whatever. He could think about it later. With any luck, Laguna was already gone and he could get some coffee in peace. He rose and crossed the floor to the bathroom.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Laguna got out of his limo and waved his driver goodbye.

He wasn't going to kid himself. He was very nervous about spending the rest of the afternoon in the same house as Squall. Irvine's presence would help, certainly, but Squall tended to make Laguna's attempts at friendship very difficult.

He reached for the doorknob and paused. He heard…music? From his piano? He listened for a moment. He knew that song.

As quietly as he could, he pushed the door open. Well oiled hinges slid effortlessly, allowing for his silent entrance. He could hear the notes clearly now, played with clarity and emotion. The piano was out of tune from years of disuse, but that barely marred the piece. It was almost as if Julia herself were playing again.

He crept into his office where the old piano lay, facing the window. What he saw surprised him, and yet he expected nothing less.

Squall was hunched over the instrument, his fingers gliding across the old keys, his arms moving with the depth of the sound, the passion he was trying to convey. He drew out the bittersweet melody and made it look effortless. Though Squall lacked the ability to express himself with words, he apparently didn't have the same problem in music. He managed to make _Eyes on Me_ sound aching and lonely.

Laguna wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort his son.

The piece finally came to a close, the ending chord suspended in the air. Squall's hands came up and Laguna spoke. "You play very well."

Squall's spine snapped to attention, but he didn't turn around. "It's expected of SeeD to learn various skills," he answered quietly.

"Your mother played piano, sometimes," Laguna pressed on. Squall had actually responded without trying to end the conversation. "Guess that's where you got your talent."

Squall grunted, but offered no intelligible reply.

"Raine would have been so proud of you."

"If she weren't dead."

The razor-edged words stunned Laguna. That wasn't something he had been expecting, and it brought with it a wave of guilt. "Squall, I couldn't have done anything if I had been there-"

Squall's shoulders shook as a cold, bitter laugh found its way past his lips. "So, it's my fault, then? I'm the one that let her die?" His tone was cynical and heartbreaking to hear. In it, Laguna could hear a lost child, dealing with years of tragedy and pain all alone.

"Of course not! Squall, it wasn't anyone's fault! Not even the town doctors could save her!" His heart quenched at the memory, the look on Kiros' face when he brought the letter to him, the way his world had shattered on reading those words…

Squall laughed again, the sound sending a shiver up his spine. He turned to face Laguna, his icy eyes filled with nothing close to mirth. They were empty and mocking. "President Loire, my mother died alone! I've been to Winhill, and I spoke with the doctor. Do you know what he said? He said the last word she uttered was '_Laguna_'. Pathetic, isn't it? The only thing she ever wanted was the only thing she couldn't have. While you were off playing leader, my mother died. But I guess that wouldn't really matter to you, since you didn't care enough to stick around when she had a child."

Laguna stood, shock written all over his face. He couldn't seem to get a word out.

Squall chuckled darkly as he stood. "I thought not," he murmured as he left, leaving Laguna alone.

He couldn't hold back the tear that fell down his face.

* * *

Squall was certainly not a happy camper, at the moment. In Irvine's opinion, he was overreacting a bit. Of course, ever since that exchange he had with Laguna the other night, his temper had been a bit irrational.

The man was pacing furiously, his eyes locked on a piece of paper he held in his hands. Irvine wasn't even aware Squall could move this much. Usually he would just sit and fume when he was angry.

"Um, Squall-"

"The prattling idiots think there's _nothing _wrong!" he hissed. "All these symptoms, and there's _nothing_ wrong?!"

"They said they wanted to run more tests-"

Squall didn't respond. He just paced some more, glaring at the paper like it was somehow responsible.

"Squall, we'll figure this out. In the mean time, why don't you call Rinoa?"

He watched as the scowl softened a bit and the pacing slowed. "She wouldn't want to talk to me like this, Irvine. You don't even want to talk to me like this," Squall sighed, seating himself at the kitchen table across from Irvine. He crumpled the paper in his hands.

When had Squall gotten so wordy? One day he'd act like the Squall Irvine knew and loved, and the next it was like speaking with a completely different person.

Irvine brought his mug of coffee to his lips to give himself time to formulate a response. "She'd want to talk to you anyways, Squall. You know that."

The commander stared blankly at the table, obviously lost in thought. Finally, he rose and made his way from the room, withdrawing his cell phone from his pocket as he walked.

Irvine smiled. Maybe that was just what he needed, a talk with Rinoa. She had been badgering him for information since the day before they left. He hadn't explained anything, since he figured Squall would want to take care of that himself.

A bloodcurdling scream tore him from his thoughts. His coffee mug fell from his hands and spilled across the table. Irvine was up in a half second, darting into the next room. The screaming continued and Irvine soon found the cause. The sight made his heart stop.

Squall was on the floor, writhing in agony. His mouth was open in a continuous shriek, and his hands were clawing at his chest. His whole upper torso seemed to be covered in blood. The air was thick with its scent. His phone was several feet away, forgotten on the ground.

"SQUALL!" Irvine cried out, running to his side. He grabbed the man by the wrists, but the blood made everything so slick. Squall was able to escape easily and continued to rake his hands over his upper body, his nails tearing at the fabric and cutting his skin. His chest was the cause of this.

Irvine tore at Squall's shredded shirt, trying to remove it. He only grunted when Squall's fingernails dug into his flesh. He had to do something!

Finally, the saturated fabric tore free, revealing Squall's chest. Though his flesh was now disfigured by his own self-mutilation, the left side seemed to be the source. Despite Squall's thrashing, Irvine thought he saw something beneath the blood. It looked like it was glowing…

Irvine wiped the blood away with a hand and gasped. There, embellished across Squall's chest, was some kind of tattoo. It emanated a green light, though crimson spilled from it. It seemed to be melting the skin, sinking deeper and deeper into his chest. Closer to his heart.

And Irvine was powerless to stop it.

"Squall! Come on, Squall," Irvine pleaded. His words fell on deaf ears and Squall continued to twist and convulse across the ground. Irvine almost caught his fist in the jaw."Squall, I don't know how to help you! You have to tell me what's happening!"

Squall's eyes suddenly widened and his body went ridged. His scream abruptly cut off, though his mouth was still agape in a silent cry. His back was arched; his bloodstained hands gripped the carpet.

The symbol engraved on Squall's chest flashed brightly, like a small green sun, and just as intense. Irvine had to shield his eyes from it. He could hear a high ringing sound, barely within human hearing range. It increased in volume, while the light increased in intensity.

Finally, just as Irvine thought he could stand it no longer, it all ended. It took Irvine a second for his eyes to adjust, though his ears still rang painfully. He blinked hard and tried to see Squall through the spots in his vision.

He gasped again. This…this wasn't Squall.

Squall didn't have blond hair.

* * *

On another side of the planet, he awoke. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but it felt like only moments. He sat up, stretching his long muscles.

The room he was in was dark. If he recalled, he was underground, in an old lab buried deep in the ice. But neither the dark nor the cold bothered him, even without clothes. He was accustomed to it.

He stood up from his resting place, a slab of ice that had encased him for who knew how long. There was little time to prepare. He had been awakened for a purpose. A smile spread across his face at the thought of his mission. No sense in keeping Mother waiting.

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuuuun... Well, I'm sure we've all figured out it's a crossover by now ^-^

Poor Squall. While I was writing all of that, I think I died a little on the inside ;_;

Anyways, leave a review and have a great week!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	12. Chapter 12

Hello! Welcome to chapter 12! :D

**Kurosukai:** You know you enjoy Squall's sufferings ^-^ Thanks. Again :D

**Jibril: **Well, I hope he doesn't end up too whiney...but we love him for his emo-ness XD

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: **Of course not! I couldn't bring myself to kill Squall! And Rinoa should show up aaaany time now...

**DefineDancing: **Bwaha you just like Squall-torture too XD

**A Morning Star:** Well thank you! And I certainly agree ^-^ It suites him.

**Random Note: **Kurosukai has made an amazing video for my story 'Lone Wolf'. The link is on my profile. Go check it out!

Disclaimer: No. It's not mine. .

**Not-So-Random Note:** _-This-_ is Squall. _"This" _is Aeris. _'This'_ is Cloud.

* * *

He awoke with a gasp. It felt like he hadn't breathed in centuries.

He was alive? How was that possible? He remembered it like it was yesterday. The pain of it all, then the peace he felt when he was finally able to let go. The last breath he had taken in, then released. When she came, carrying him with her to the Lifestream…

But his chest was moving with the rise and fall of his lungs. He was breathing again. Which meant he was alive again.

"_Yes."_

His eyes weren't closed anymore. In fact, he wasn't exactly grounded anymore.

He stood in a field of white, the only color in the yellow flowers that sprung up at his feet. He felt her at his back and inhaled her sweet scent. He wanted to savor the moment, but his curiosity eventually won out. "Why am I here?" he finally asked aloud.

He could hear the smile in her voice. "It's good to see you, Cloud. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

He assumed she was talking about the time since he had been alive. "How long?"

"We've only been apart for a few days, but you died almost two thousand years, if that's what you're asking."

He frowned. That long? He'd been dead two thousand years?

"Why am I here?" he repeated, making his confusion evident in his voice.

She sobered almost immediately. "The Planet needs you again."

"Why me?"

"You're the only one that can defeat him. The Planet's magicks have become wild and less potent. Materia haven't been found in over a thousand years. Technology has retrogressed. Amidst all this, he is returning."

"He?"

She paused. "Sephiroth."

His insides went cold. "Sephiroth? He's back?"

She didn't respond verbally, but he thought he felt her nodding at his back. "Do you remember anything?"

He thought a moment. "I remember dying."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

She seemed to consider this for a minute. "Do you remember anything of your time in the Lifestream?"

"…No." Should he? If he was dead, then alive again, should he remember?

"We talked about this not long ago. You insisted it be you. I spent many hours discussing this with the Cetran counsel, and they finally agreed to let you go. You chose Squall Leonhart to be your host."

"Host?"

"You can't return from the Lifestream with all of your past memories intact and in adult form without having a host. You need the mature body to support all of the information, so you chose Squall."

Cloud's mind was racing to keep up. "Aeris-"

"It's time for you to wake up, Cloud." He heard her smile. "Squall and his friends are waiting for you. I'll try to keep Squall at bay to give you time to adjust, but he's strong. I won't be able to hold him off for long, so you need to hurry."

"Will you be here?" He asked, raising a hand to tap his temple. He knew she felt it.

"Of course. Now, wake up," she said softly as the white faded into black.

He was thrust back into a world of pain. It took him a moment to recognize all of the signals this physical body was sending him, but pain wasn't something easily forgotten, even if he hadn't felt it in over two thousand years. His chest was burning, like someone had just launched a fire spell at him.

"_Your arrival was less than graceful, Cloud."_

He could hear the faint disapproval in her voice. _'I don't remember actually _arriving_,'_ he pointed out indignantly.

He could hear soft breathing not far from him, so he wasn't alone. He smelled blood and antiseptic, which brought with it past memories.

"_Now isn't the time. Focus on getting your body under control,"_Aeris said gently.

He remembered what she had said about not being able to keep his host long, so he shoved those memories aside and moved on to examine the rest of his new residence. He tried to open his eyes, but nothing happened. _'Aeris?' _

"_You're trying too hard, Cloud. You don't remember all of the little things, but Squall's body does. Get your mind out of it and movement will come naturally."_

He mentally nodded. He could do that. It was like fighting. The moment you stopped to think, you were dead. He had to let his body guide him. This vessel he had apparently chosen was strong and fit, that much was easy to tell. It was obvious by the way he had easily forgotten the pain and moved on. This Squall was very well disciplined.

"_It's not all Squall. You're only using his body as an anchoring point. The rest is you. It's like his body, with your influence."_

Cloud absorbed that, then found his eyes opening. That was handy. _'Thanks for the distraction.'_

The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on a couch of some kind. The lighting was dim, probably for his consideration. He was in a room with nauseatingly bright colors, after all. His upper body was bare, save for the crisscross of linen bandages that bound his wounded chest. He wasn't too sure how that happened…

"You're awake."

His eyes fell on a man sitting in the corner. He looked to be at ease, reclining in a chair, arms lax on the armrests. But Cloud was well aware he wasn't. He could tell by the way his feet were planted firmly on the ground and the way his hands were balled into fists.

He looked to be of medium build, but didn't have the muscles of a sword fighter, or even a martial artist. Most of his strength seemed to rest in his shoulders. What else was there? It was obvious he had some kind of training, otherwise he wouldn't be this prepared for trouble from a wounded man.

"Who are you?" the man finally asked after they had both studied each other for a moment. His voice was low and had a bit of a twang to it he didn't recognize.

"My name is Cloud," he said after a second. His voice was his own, not a stranger's.

The man's eye twitched. His name really wasn't that funny, was it? "Who are you?"

"Irvine," the man replied. "Now, here comes the killer. _What_ are you doing _in_ _Squall_?" There was a definite threat in his tone. Something Cloud didn't ignore.

"I don't think you'll believe me-"

"You just took over my friend's body. I think my mind is pretty open, at the moment." There was no amusement in his voice or eyes.

Cloud paused to gather his thoughts. He didn't want to say something stupid. He was a bit vulnerable for that, at the moment. "Alright. I'm dead."

His eyebrows shot to his hair line. "Well, Cloud, that is something…You look well…"

Cloud laughed a bit, then regretted it when his chest burned with renewed vigor. "Well, obviously not at the moment, but I'm not exactly alive, either. I've been sent here to do something, and I chose Squall to help me do it." _'Apparently.'_

"_He's coming-"_

_-Who are you?!-_

Cloud physically winced at the level of anger and hatred that coursed his way through that one statement. He had picked quite the hothead, it seemed. He hoped Aeris would have explained some of this-

_-She did.-_

'_Then-'_

_-Why me?- _There was no mistaking his bitterness now. _–All of the people on this planet, and you choose my life to ruin. Why?-_

'_I don't remember why. I don't even remember why I've come,'_ Cloud explained.

"Are you alright?" Irvine suddenly asked. Cloud had almost forgotten about him.

He felt Squall's hurt at this statement. He felt…betrayed? _–Get out of my head,- _he demanded, burying the feelings where Cloud could not reach them. What was that about?

"Cloud?"

"I'm alright. Squall was just talking to me."

"…He talks to you?" Irvine asked.

Cloud gave him a blank look. "Yeah. He hasn't gone anywhere. He's still here."

Irvine looked a bit overwhelmed at this. "Can Squall hear me?"

_-Yes,- _Squall remarked bitterly.

Cloud shrunk away from the corner of his consciousness the man occupied. "Yeah, he hears you."

"What's his take on this?" Irvine asked.

Cloud grimaced at Squall's choice words for him "He's not too happy, at the moment."

Irvine chuckled a bit, which only added fuel to the fire raging in the back of Cloud's consciousness."I would think so. Does he have anything he wants to say?"

Cloud winced again. "Nothing I care to repeat."

Irvine nodded. "Why are you here, again?"

* * *

Squall was only half listening, he was so blinded by his anger.

What right did this _Cloud_ have to toy with his life?! He had enough problems as it was without some spiky haired freak coming in and ruining everything he had worked so hard to set up.

"_He isn't here to ruin your life."_

He now knew the owner of the voice he had been hearing, but that did little to assuage his anger. _–What can he possibly be here to do that I couldn't have done in the first place?-_

"_He's had many years of experience and training that you haven't had."_

He felt the blow to his pride like he might a punch in his gut. _–You have a lot of nerve.-_

"_Squall," _she said patiently. _"There is an enemy coming, the likes of which you've never faced before. Compared to him, Ultimecia was like fighting a strong pillar. She was mostly stationary, retaliating with spells, but never physically. This enemy moves like lightening, with superhuman strength and reflexes. He doesn't rely on magic, but on his own power. He's stronger than you can imagine."_

_-And how do you know all this?-_

She paused a second. _"He was the one that killed me."_

_

* * *

_

Mean Sephy.

Well, now, I hate to admit it, but what transpires between now and the end is a bit fuzzy. I would appreciate any suggestions or ideas you might have, even if it seems very simple. It could spark a major plot idea :D

As always, please leave a review and have a blessed week!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	13. Chapter 13

Hello! Okay, so this is a really long chapter because I'm probably not going to update over spring break. 'Cause it's spring _break_, and I intend to take full advantage ^-^

**Kurosukai: **Heck yes there will be jealousy XD

**Jibril: **But Cloud has Mako! How can this be?...I haven't played Dissidia...must play...

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: **Thank you very much for the idea! And it shall be used ^-^ To your credit, of course.

**Silverstargirl: **Lol poor Squall. Almost hate to do all of this to him. Almost. Thanks for reviewing :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Note: Rinoa's dad lives in Deling in the game, in case anyone forgot. I know I did. So, that's where Rinoa is.

* * *

Cloud found himself adjusting to life easily. He soon gained control of all of his skeletal muscles and was able to rise and move about freely.

All the while, Squall was seething in the back of Cloud's mind, resting like a dark mist on the edge of his consciousness. Occasionally, Cloud felt the brush of Aeris over that area, like she was trying to talk to Squall, but it usually disappeared abruptly. More than likely, his host wasn't in a very talkative mood.

_-Mind your own business,-_ Squall snapped, his tone filled with venom.

'_Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with living in your shoes, either-'_

_-Then get out of them.-_

Cloud was trying very hard to reign in his anger. As he had grown older, his temperance had mellowed out notably, but there were still things that got under his skin. Stubborn narrow mindedness was one of them. _'Hey, I've got a job to do. Once I finish, I'll leave and you can have your body back.'_

_-Then maybe you should get to work,- _Squall suggested in a dark tone.

Cloud wondered briefly what kind of results he might receive from banging his head against the wall. _'I'm trying to-'_

His thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door shutting. Irvine, who had been sitting silently in his chair for the past hour or so, raised his eyes to meet Cloud's. "Laguna's home."

Laguna. President of one of the planet's most powerful nations and Squall's father. It would be in Cloud's best interests to get him on his side.

_-He won't be much help. Outside of Esthar, he's useless,-_ Squall offered.

Cloud was a bit surprised, but didn't have time to respond, since the man in question stumbled into the room. Literally _stumbled_ over the throw rug.

The president pushed it back into place with his foot while he loosened his tie and looked up to greet his visitors. "Hey, sorry I'm a bit late. We had-" He did a double take when his eyes landed on Cloud. He looked to Irvine for reassurance, then back to Cloud with a smile on his face. "Uh, hi."

Cloud couldn't help but to not be impressed by the man's first impression. He looked nice in his business suit, with his clothes ironed and his long, shoulder length hair brushed back neatly. He was lean and a bit muscular, but with the same troubling, vaguely familiar build that Irvine had. Almost like he used to be a soldier of some sort.

But the man was a klutz.

After an awkward silence, Irvine cleared his throat. "Laguna, I'd like you to meet Cloud Strife. Cloud, President Laguna Loire."

Cloud offered him a nod in greeting. "Mr. President."

Laguna's eye twitched. "Cloud."

_-Yes. Your name_ is _that funny.-_ Squall informed him bluntly, with not just a little disdain.

Cloud gritted his teeth. "I'm here on urgent business."

Laguna, still looking a bit overwhelmed, nodded. "Alright. Let me put some coffee on and you can tell us all about it. I'm sure Squall will be interested to hear whatever it is you have to say."

_-Thrilled.-_

He saw Irvine wince, but didn't react himself. "Squall won't be joining us, per se."

Laguna raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"I'll explain this all at once."

The president looked wary, casting another glance at Irvine, then back at Cloud. "Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

Cloud watched as the man tripped on the same rug on his way out, then made his way up the stairs to, presumably, his room.

'_Aeris?' _

There was a long pause and Cloud was sure she had gone. _"Yes?" _she finally asked.

'_I think I'll need your help to explain all of this. I don't remember enough.'_

"_Okay, but I don't have much time left. I'll have to get back to the Promised Land."_

Cloud didn't understand the urgency in her voice, but figured he wouldn't even if she explained. Humans generally couldn't comprehend the minds and agendas of the Cetra. Aeris' human side was the only thing that allowed them to relate much at all. It also made her the perfect mediator between the goings-on of the planet and the Promised Land.

Laguna returned moments later, dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. "Come on in here and we'll talk." He motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen. Cloud and Irvine did as requested and seated themselves at the table while Laguna put on a pot of coffee. Cloud glanced around at the many appliances and found himself wondering at their use. The models looked so…odd. Even the stove looked different. Then again, things didn't seem to be powered by Mako anymore.

"So, what business are you here on, exactly?" Laguna asked as he readied several mugs. "Most people usually come to my office for these kinds of things."

"How about we start at the beginning?" Irvine suggested. "The _very_ beginning."

Cloud searched his mind for a good starting place. "Well, I'm dead."

_-An excellent starting place.-_ Squall said, his mental voice dripping in sarcasm.

Cloud did his best to ignore his alter ego.

_-And who, exactly, is the alter here?-_

Laguna blinked at Cloud like he had suddenly grown an extra head. "Uh…"

"I lived on this planet almost two thousand years ago," Cloud pushed forward. The best way to deal with this was probably to lay everything out at the beginning. "Long story short, the planet, at that time, was threatened by a madman named Sephiroth. Sephiroth was implanted with cells of a hostile alien named Jenova. He became a great warrior, but the alien's influence caused him to lose his mind. He became intent on becoming some sort of deity by absorbing all of the planet's Lifestream. To do that, he had to cause the planet a great deal of damage, so he summoned Meteor. My unit defeated him and destroyed Meteor, thus saving the planet."

"Sephiroth wasn't dead yet, though. The Lifestream rejected him because of Jenova's influence on him, but not before he infected it. This caused a disease we called Geostigma.

"When Sephiroth was rejected, we believe he somehow fragmented, forming three different beings. One obtained the cells of Jenova and absorbed them, allowing an avenue for Sephiroth to return. We fought again and he lost again. A few decades after that, I died.

"This brings us to now. I have come back because Sephiroth has returned to the planet." He paused, both to catch his breath and to let Laguna and Irvine gather their thoughts.

They stared at him with thoughtful looks on their faces. Laguna frowned like he had just remembered something. "What does this have to do with Squall?"

Squall chuckled darkly in the back of Cloud's mind. _-Here we go, now.-_

This caused Cloud some concern, but he didn't allow it on his face. _'Aeris? This is where I could use some help.'_

"_Repeat what I say," _came the reply after a long, tense moment.

Cloud released a breath he didn't know he was holding and began to repeat what the Cetra told him. "Squall is my host," he said, but continued before a surprised Laguna could ask anything. "I chose him a few months ago, then the Cetra marked him for our assimilation."

"Is that what that symbol on his chest was?" Irvine asked.

At Aeris' confirmation, Cloud nodded. "Yes. It was a point of connection between the Lifestream and Squall. The Cetra slowly transferred my consciousness to this body, but when Sephiroth suddenly arrived without warning, they panicked and basically threw what was left in all at once. That's why it got a little messy."

"A little?" Irvine asked with an incredulous look. "There was blood all over the place."

…that wasn't exactly what Cloud had wanted his host's _father_ to know.

As predicted, Laguna looked a bit panicked. "Blood? You're _inside_ of Squall?! Is he alright?!"

_-Well-handled.-_

'_I don't need your commentary,'_ Cloud growled mentally.

_-And I don't need you living in my body.-_

Why did he have to pick such a difficult host? "Squall's fine."

"And he's okay with you just taking over his body?" Laguna asked, a frown coming over his features.

Squall seemed to be pleasantly surprised by Laguna's reaction, though Cloud himself was irritated. Couldn't people be just a bit more open-minded? And maybe try to put this into perspective? There was a raging madman with the strength and speed of a dozen men on the loose, and Cloud had just given up a portion of his cozy afterlife to deal with it. Couldn't they at least be a little thankful?

_-Maybe if you had gotten your own body.-_

"'Okay' isn't the word I would use."

_-Irate? Livid? Incensed?-_

Cloud's patience was wearing a bit thin.

"Apparently, he can hear what we say," Irvine informed Laguna.

Laguna perked at this. "Squall can hear us? Can he talk to us?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. I'm in control until I leave." At this statement, Cloud felt a tide of fury and something else from Squall. Fear, maybe?

_-I told you to mind your own business.-_ Squall snarled. The emotions disappeared again from his awareness.

Cloud chose not to reply. "Your coffee's burning."

Laguna snapped out of his daze and leapt from his chair to take care of it.

They sat in relative silence for a time, the only sound the clatter of kitchenware as the president poured his guests coffee. Even Squall waited quietly in the back of Cloud's mind.

"So," Laguna began, setting three steaming mugs on the table, "what now?"

Cloud took his cup, his delicate sense of smell picking up the burned scent of the drink. He ignored it and took a sip anyway, letting it scald his tongue. "Now I need to get a team and go after him."

"That simple?" Irvine asked, giving him a skeptical look.

Cloud shrugged. "That's all I have, at the moment."

* * *

They had a bit of a plan. Laguna couldn't exactly up and leave, but he would do his best to provide anything Cloud needed from his end. This included the loan of the Ragnarok. Irvine seemed to be thrilled at the idea of being able to pilot it. His enthusiasm had Cloud a bit concerned, and he could sense Squall was uneasy about it as well.

Squall had been rather quiet for a long time now. All of that changed when Cloud had voiced to Irvine that he needed a weapon. Irvine had suggested he use Squall's gunblade. This did not sit well.

_-Don't_-_even_-think-_about_-_it.-_ Venom dripped off of every syllable.

'_Look, Squall, I need a weapon,'_ Cloud growled at his host as he followed Irvine to the bedroom.

_-You have my body. You can't have my _Lionheart._- _

'_Be reasonable! I'm not a fist fighter! And if I die, you come with me to the Lifestream.' _

_-Get your own weapon.-_

Irvine was now setting the _Lionheart_'s case on the bed and flipped open the latches, revealing the weapon inside. It wasn't like anything Cloud had ever seen. It had the handle one might see on a revolver, yet it would be easy enough to grip it with two hands. A silver lion head dangled from a chain on the 'hilt'. There was also a cylinder, adding to the gun effect, but it was in the shape of a silver lion with great wings stretched out to form sort of a guard. Replacing the barrel was a broad, single edged blade. It was about half as long as Cloud was tall and, instead of the traditional silver one might expect, it was a glacier, ethereal blue. It almost had the same glow it might if it were infused with Mako.

"Here she is," Irvine announced, stepping back.

Cloud reached out a hand, but Squall snapped, _-Don't touch it. You won't be able to wield it, and I certainly won't help.-_

Cloud rolled his eyes. _'I'm a swordsman, Squall. I know how to use one of these.'_

_-It's not a sword. It's a gunblade,-_ Squall said as if talking to a child. _-It takes years of training to master, and very few actually do. You'll just end up setting fire to half the room.-_

'_Don't be ridiculous,'_ Cloud scoffed. He had wielded a sword for years. Why should this one be any different? Sure, it was part gun, but Cloud had also used a semiautomatic for a couple of years. If there was one thing he was an expert in, it was weapons and combat.

He could feel Squall seething as he disobeyed and picked up the weapon, almost reverently. It felt light in his hands, but the balance wasn't something he was used to. He gave it a few experimental swings. It felt strange, like they somehow had a disagreement. He didn't _want_ it in his hand.

"What do you think?" Irvine asked from a safe distance, his blue eyes tracking the blade's movement.

Cloud shook his head. "It'll do until I get another sword."

"When will that be?" he arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe when we get to this Balamb Garden…what's that buzzing?"

Irvine listened for a second, then moved over to his bed and dug around in his open duffel. He withdrew a cell phone and flipped it open. "Hello? Yeah, he's alright now," Irvine said with a glance at Cloud. "No, he just passed out or something. He's still asleep."

Cloud watched him for a moment. It was blatantly obvious Irvine was lying. He wondered who he could be talking to.

_-Rinoa.-_ Squall replied, but it didn't sound like he meant for that to come through to Cloud.

'_Who's Rinoa?'_

He immediately quieted. Cloud knew it was on purpose, but chose not to press it. It was pretty obvious who this Rinoa was in relation to Squall, anyway.

"Alright, I'll let you know, Rin. I'll tell him you called. Alright, night." Irvine hung up and threw the phone back in his bag. When he turned back around, he crossed his arms and gave Cloud a considering look. "How, exactly, am I supposed to explain all of this to Squall's girlfriend?"

Why was he asking him? Cloud didn't know this Rinoa-

He suddenly saw a mental image. A beautiful girl, with ebony hair that had a few streaks of gold in it. Large brown eyes that looked warm and friendly.

The image was gone before Cloud had fully examined it.

_-Stay away from her,-_ Squall said, his tone quiet, but full of rage and ice, nonetheless. His presence was somehow much more ominous and foreboding than it had been, even when Cloud picked up his _Lionheart_. _-You stay _away _from Rinoa.-_

Cloud mentally shrunk back from the voice before he knew what he was doing. _'I'm not going to mess with your girlfriend, Squall. That's not why I'm here.'_

Squall didn't seem convinced, but didn't press it. He was too busy plotting Cloud's demise to himself.

"Cloud?"

His eyes snapped back into focus on Irvine. "Sorry. Uh, I don't know. I don't know enough about her to know how she'd handle it."

Irvine sighed. "Rin's gonna kill me. She told me to keep an eye on Squall."

Squall heard this, and his hatred turned to only mild irritation at the woman's actions.

"She'll probably kill me first, then. When can we get the Ragnarok and head back to Balamb?" Cloud asked, eager to change topics.

The cowboy shrugged. "Laguna said the earliest he can get clearance is ten or eleven tomorrow. Guess we leave then." His eyes fell on the _Lionheart _still in Cloud's grip. "In the mean time, we'd better get some sleep. If what you say about this Sephiroth is true, things are going to start getting pretty crazy around here. We'll need all the rest we can get."

Cloud nodded. Irvine was definitely right.

* * *

It didn't feel like he had been asleep for five minutes when he heard Squall's phone buzzing. He turned his back on the device and buried his head in the pillow. Squall's phone fell silent only for a moment, before ringing again, this time joined by Irvine's.

They didn't stop.

Irvine mumbled something he knew was completely unintelligible. _He_ wasn't even sure what he was saying. His hand flew out and fumbled blindly across the nightstand in search of the phone. He found it on about the tenth ring and put it to his ear.

"Selphie, this had better be important," he growled into the speaker.

The voice on the other end of the line was a panicked mess. All he could hear was a lot of shouting in the background and the incoherent buzz of her voice. "Whoa, whoa, Selph! Slow down!" Irvine said, trying to keep his voice calm. He wasn't succeeding very well.

"It's Deling! The whole town's on fire!" Selphie cried into the phone, beyond hysterics. He could hear her frightened tears. "We can't find Rinoa!"

* * *

Bwahaha! Cliffy! Guess you'll have to wait two weeks for some peace ^-^

You probably think Squall was a bit chattier than normal. I have an explanation. Since it's more thinking than actually conscientiously voicing it, I would think it'd be more difficult to filter your thoughts. I'm assuming it's harder to maintain silence in your own head than it would be outside of it.

Eh, not the best explanation, but I think you know what I mean. You think a lot more than you actually speak, so naturally, there's more going on in your head than is coming out of your mouth. Squall and Cloud having the same mind kinda removes that barrier.

Alrighty, be safe if you're on spring break and have a wonderful, relaxing time! Please leave a review on your way out!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	14. Chapter 14

Hello! Hope you guys that were on Spring Break had an amazing one :D

**Kurosukai:** Poor Laguna is a klutz XD Thanks for the editing.

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** lol thankies. I do try. Occasionally.

**Silverstargirl:** It couldn't be helped. I get lazy ^-^

**Thatotherguy:** I didn't XD

Disclaimer: Of course not.

* * *

The sky was a black cloud, the thick smoke obscuring the rays of the sun. Dread gnawed at Irvine's gut as he put the ship down near the SeeD transport. Cloud was out of his seat and on his way out as soon as the ramp was lowered. Irvine followed close behind.

The place was nothing but chaos. SeeDs and Deling security personnel darted in and out amidst the vehicles that served as a makeshift base of operations. Wounded were lying on stretchers or sitting beside medical vehicles. The smoke was thick in the air, burning Irvine's nose and making his eyes water. Despite all of the screams and the roar of the fire engulfing half of the city, Irvine easily picked up the sound of Quistis' voice.

"B Team! I want you all on the south side of the section!" he heard Quistis shout to a squad swathed in fire-proof gear. He finally spotted her and shoved his way past the wave of SeeDs. Her eyes fell on him then shifted to Cloud. He saw her frown through her oxygen mask. "Where's Squall?!" she demanded over the noise.

"Long story!" he shouted back. "Any news on Rinoa?!"

Quistis only shook her head.

Irvine felt his heart drop.

Quistis made her way over to Irvine's side. She casted a quick glance at Cloud before looking back to the cowboy. "The fire's contained, but the Caraway mansion was one of the closest to what is believed to be the blast site," Quistis reported in a detached, official voice. "I sent in A Team to that area first, but they found nothing. We can't spare the personnel to keep searching the same spot."

Irvine nodded numbly, a dry cough forcing its way past his lips. He didn't want to think about what was running through Squall's mind at that moment. "We'll go have another look," he promised Quistis.

He saw it in her eyes, a burst of defiance, then, a calmer acceptance. "Alright. We'll be fine here. Just hurry up. There's some extra gear in that van," she pointed to a vehicle. "An ice draw point is over there," she gestured to another transport.

She must have seen another team arriving for instructions, for she turned around and began shouting orders.

"C'mon Clou-" he stopped short when he noticed Cloud was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_-Move _faster_! -_ Squall snarled at his host.

'_I can only move so fast when there's blasted fire all over the place!'_ Cloud hissed back as he trudged through the debris and flame.

They had arrived in record time, Irvine not bothering to obey certain skyway regulations placed by Esthar security. The engine sounded horrible by the time they reached Deling, having been pushed to excessive speeds. Squall knew it wouldn't be an available means of transportation for a while, but that was far from his primary concern.

That had been the longest two hours Squall had ever sat through. And he had been able to do nothing. Rinoa was in danger and he could do _nothing_. He couldn't even pace to provide a channel for his swelling emotions.

And, to add to his ever mounting despair and frustration, Cloud had seemed to be completely composed, going over possible battle strategies in his mind as he had waited for the ship to land. It was enough to drive Squall mad.

And now this. He was moving like an old man_. -I thought you were somehow physically stronger than me. This should be nothing.-_

'_There's_ fire_, Squall,'_ Cloud snapped. _'Even Mako-enhanced lungs can't filter oxygen when it isn't there!' _

_-You're not even _trying_ to move fast! Rinoa could be dying, and all you care about is finding your ridiculous rival!-_

He sensed Cloud's increasing anger. That was good. Anger would cause him to speed up, if only to prove Squall wrong. _'I'll find your girlfriend! Just shut up for a bit!' _Cloud's pace picked up marginally.

Progress, at least. But Squall wasn't satisfied. He had to find her.

(Cloud POV)

Cloud coughed, the smoke making him gag. He tried to stay low, but the flames eating at the surrounding homes and debris below burned his skin. He wasn't clothed for this. He could feel his rubber combat boots, or rather Squall's, melting on his feet.

And to make matters worse, Squall was being far from supportive. His constant insults and comments were only serving to distract him from his goals.

He knew he needed to find Rinoa, if for no other reason than to make Squall shut up. He also needed to find Sephiroth. He was still around. Cloud could sense his presence in the peripherals of his mind, a dark, ominous existence that put Cloud on edge.

_-Focus.-_

Cloud bit back a harsh reply. He had to put things into perspective. He was sure he'd act the same if that were Aeris in there-

Focus. He couldn't let his mind wonder to something like that.

He coughed again, then retched, throwing bile onto the hot sidewalk as his body fought to rid itself of the toxins it was taking in.

He continued on as soon as he stopped heaving, wiping his mouth with a soot-covered hand.

_-Almost there,-_ Squall promised, a mental nudge sending him down a side street. A pair of charred bodies lay in the street, obviously dead. Cloud could only guess that they had leapt out of the third story windows to escape the flames. He hoped for Squall's sake that neither of them was Rinoa.

_-They aren't,-_ Squall insisted, though Cloud wasn't sure if it was based on anything more solid than denial.

Cloud approached the Caraway mansion, holding a hand before him to try to protect his face from the heat. He casted a quick glance at the corpses, but Squall didn't recognize them. Cloud continued on up to the house, seeing nothing in the windows but an inferno of flame. There was no way he could get inside.

_-We can't leave! Keep looking. She's smart. She would have gotten out.-_ Cloud knew a pep talk when he heard one. Squall wasn't sure himself.

He had to be thorough, at any rate. He knew the odds were slim. If she hadn't turned up before now, she probably wasn't going to. But he had to look.

He trudged around the house, noting the way the third story had caved into the second on one corner, and another side of the house missing a section of wall.

There was no way.

'_Squall,' _Cloud began slowly._ 'I don't think she's-'_

_-NO! Keep looking!-_

Cloud recoiled at the wall of emotion that hit him. He felt he was drowning in the other man's desperation, pain, and anguish.

He had to find her.

He redoubled his efforts, even going to such lengths as to lift burning rubble with his bare hands to glimpse beneath it. She was here somewhere. He wouldn't believe she was dead until he saw the body.

Wait, what was this? These weren't his thoughts…

'_Squall, we can't find her in this. We'll have to come back-'_

_-It will be too late then! We have to find her NOW!-_ he was practically screaming, but Cloud was ready for the wave of foreign emotion. He kept his mind.

Cloud didn't reply. He just turned around and began walking.

_- CLOUD! TURN AROUND! SHE'S HERE! WE HAVE TO FIND HER! CLOUD!!!-_

'_She can't be alive, Squall,'_ Cloud interrupted softly. _'And we won't be much longer if we stay.'_

_-Turn around!-_ Squall cried.

'_I'm sorry, Squall.'_

_-Cloud…-_ he pleaded, his pain palpable. His resolve was wavering, giving way to grief. _-We have…we have to…Rinoa…_Rinoa_…-_

Squall screamed.

Cloud did his best not to shy away. Squall's misery transferred into his own thoughts, allowing him to experience the vivid emotions. He was suffocating underneath the weight of it all, like his heart was being ripped out and shredded.

"_Cloud."_

He was torn from the other man's suffering by the sweet, urgent voice. "Aeris?" He looked around him reflexively.

His eyes fell on a blur of color amidst the black smoke. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a blue sleeve, stained by soot and half eaten by fire. A delicate, blackened hand rested within.

Cloud hurried to the pile of rubble, tearing through it with as much caution as he could allow. Squall was silent, watching with trepidation. The hot materials burned his already charred hands, but he fought past the pain. This had to be her. Rinoa was under all of this.

"Rinoa?" Cloud called softly, pulling a particularly large piece of cement off of her.

He was rewarded with a quiet moan.

He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He threw away another portion of the house. "I'm coming. Just hang in there."

_-Be careful,-_ Squall cautioned.

He finally unearthed her head. Her skin was marred by scratches and burns. Blood covered the half of her face that he could see. Her eyes were screwed shut.

Cloud threw the last of it off of her then, very gently, pulled her into his arms. He felt a rib give way in his hand and she gasped. Her left arm was bent at an awkward angle and her skin was a bloodied mess.

But she was alive.

"You're safe now, Rinoa," Cloud said as he took off back the way he had come. He didn't think she heard him over the fire's roar, but his voice was almost gone.

He would come back for Sephiroth. Right now, he had to take Rinoa to the medics.

* * *

Poor Rinoa *sniff* Squall was soooo hard to write for in this chapter! I'm not used to writing him with so much emotion.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chappy. Please leave a review and have a great week!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	15. Chapter 15

Hello! Welcome to chapter 15! So, I'm going to do my best to keep updating once a week, but I'm sure many of you have noticed it's nearing the end of the semester and things are starting to get crazy o.o So, no promises...

**Kurosukai: **Right here. Thanks for the editing XD

**Silverstargirl: **Lol she's one of my favorite. I'll do my best not to make her annoying :D

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** ...*cowers* o.o

**KazeRose:** Wow. Thanks! That was one the longest reviews I've had! Thank you so much for your encouragement! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Disclaimer: Don't be absurd.

* * *

Sephiroth was pleasantly surprised. So, Cloud was here, too.

That meant he could destroy him, once and for all.

But Sephiroth had to be careful his personal vendettas didn't interfere with Mother's plans. She had been waiting a long time for him to awaken, and he didn't plan on making her wait for results much longer.

Still, he was curious as to Cloud's interest in this girl. Surely Cloud hadn't been on the planet longer than he. He wouldn't have had time to become attached to anyone yet, would he?

Of course, Sephiroth had very little experience with such things. He really didn't know how long it took average people to establish bonds of that nature.

No matter. He would do whatever necessary to destroy Cloud, short of delaying Mother's plan. This girl could be a valuable tool to use against him.

But Sephiroth wasn't so delusional as to think such a feat would be easily accomplished. He knew better. Cloud was strong and Sephiroth had been beaten before. As much as it had stung his pride, he intended to learn from it. He would not repeat his past mistakes this time around.

He had no doubt their paths would soon cross, but Sephiroth didn't have time to confront Cloud now. Burning the nearest city had only been a minor distraction to mask his true goals. This would keep the three organizations that passed as military on this planet busy while he plotted to throw the world into chaos. Both literally and figuratively.

* * *

He was completely overwhelmed.

His waiting room was filled to the brim with wounded and his ER was packed even further. They had no more space for the injured, and the stretchers and beds were reserved for critical cases. The scent of blood and burned flesh was enough to make his head swim.

"Doctor!"

He turned to one of his rapidly approaching nurses. "Yes?"

"There's a new critical case in the OR! None of the other doctors can get to it!" she panted. "I'll take over here." She pushed him aside and began dressing his patient's wound.

He grabbed his clipboard and headed for the OR. They were fortunate that most of the injuries had been minor, but now that most of those had been treated, they were beginning to receive patients that had been exposed to the fire longer. That meant more severe injuries.

He washed and donned his gear quickly, then strode past an ash-covered blond man staring in the window and into the operating room. Only one nurse was attending to the young lady on the table. He was just hooking up the IV.

"Sanders?" he asked as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Doctor," he replied evenly. "She's got several breaks in her left ankle, her left radius is snapped clean in two, and the third, fourth, and fifth ribs on her left are also broken. And obviously, she's severely dehydrated with mostly deep second-degree and third degree burns."

He nodded and began trying to clean the woman up and treat her injuries.

"I think that's her boyfriend out there," Sanders continued in a conversational tone. "The guy that brought them in says he ran into the town to find her without a suit or anything. Crazy lunatic."

The doctor almost smirked and casted a glance out the window.

He frowned. That man…looked familiar…

"Who is he?"

Sanders shrugged. "Didn't ask. I was just told to make sure he stays here and doesn't go back out until he's had medical treatment. Of course, I don't have the time for that, but he looks like he's behaving. Says he wanted to go look for someone else but is staying to 'appease himself'. Whatever that means."

The doctor nodded but didn't reply.

They finished up in record time, in his opinion, and moved her into a recovery room shared with several other patients, the blond man following the whole way.

The doctor disposed of his gloves at the nearest bin and pulled his mask down. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the blond. Maybe he would have to ask.

"You wanna treat her boyfriend, or do you want me to do it?" Sanders asked.

"I'll do it. Go see to another patient."

Sanders raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the doctor. He turned and disappeared into the crowded hallway.

Without further delay, the doctor approached the man from behind. "Do you require medical attention?"

The man stiffened, then turned, a frown on his face, but it soon slackened to incredulity.

"…Vincent?"

It took him a whole three seconds for recognition to set in, promptly followed by disbelief. This had to be some kind of joke. Perhaps a look-alike. He had once had a similar experience with a girl that looked exactly like Yuffie, some five hundred years ago or so.

"Who are you?"

He blinked, his eyes bright…with Mako? That was impossible. Mako hadn't been around for centuries. "Vincent, it's me! Cloud!" the man exclaimed in a hoarse voice.

"Cloud?" he repeated.

"Cloud Strife! Don't you remember?! We fought Sephiroth together! We destroyed Meteor!"

Vincent couldn't help but be skeptical, but now wasn't the time to deal with whatever this was. "Do you require medical attention, or not?" he asked, his eyes landing on the man's bandaged hand.

He frowned. "No. Vincent-"

"I have to get back to work." He reached into his pocket and withdrew his card. His brain was telling him this was some nut job, but his gut demanded that he look into it further. He offered the paper to the blond. "Call me tomorrow." Without additional explanation, Vincent turned and made his way back to the ER, his mind filled with the improbability of it all.

(Cloud POV)

Cloud stared after him.

_-Pick your jaw up off the floor. You look like an idiot.-_

Cloud frowned, but did as Squall suggested. _'How old is he now? It's been...two thousand years. He's over two thousand years old.'_

_-That's impossible,-_ Squall said without much conviction. _-No one can live that long.-_

'_He recognized me…I think. If only a little.'_ He looked at the piece of paper he held clutched in his hand. _'He looks like he's doing well. Still as pale as death, but he looks good. Maybe he's finally over himself.'_

_-How is he alive if he's that old?- _Squall asked, annoyed that he was being ignored.

Cloud shook his head then his eyes fell to Rinoa's lifeless form on the stretcher. She wasn't recognizable as the woman from Squall's memories. Her body was almost encased in bandaging and her flesh was swollen where it was visible. She looked terrible.

_-How is he _alive_?-_ Squall repeated, drawing Cloud back to their conversation. His tone was becoming increasingly impatient.

'_He was experimented on,'_ Cloud explained. _'He had at least four demons put inside of them. One of them is gone now, but the other three, as far as I know, are still there. They give him special abilities and an infinite lifespan.'_

Squall mulled this over. _-What kind of demons?-_

'_Like your GFs.'_

_-Inside of him?- _

Cloud nodded.

_-How did the other one leave?-_

Cloud wasn't sure what to make of Squall's interest in the subject.

_-Idol curiosity.-_

'_There is never anything _idol_ about your curiosity,'_ Cloud responded. _'Back in my time, when Sephiroth called down Meteor, the planet reacted by waking up its defense system. This consisted of several WEAPONS. Long story short, Chaos, his demon, was a WEAPON, and Vincent used him to take out another WEAPON that would have destroyed the planet. Chaos returned to the planet afterward.'_

_-But the other demons are still there?-_

Cloud nodded_. 'Yeah. Now I just need to convince Vincent that I'm actually Cloud. He'll be a big help to us.'_

* * *

Vincent entered his house as quietly as possible. He was fortunate that his home was on the outskirts of Deling and had avoided a fire altogether. It was almost dawn, but the air was still tinged with smoke. He could see the city from his kitchen window, where the west side of the city still glowed a bright orange.

"Vincent?" a quiet voice asked from the doorway, the tone rough and unsteady with age.

"It's me, Red," Vincent replied, turning to stare into the darkness, though it was no trouble for his eyes. He easily made out the feline's figure in the predawn darkness. He could even see the dullness of his coat and the milky color of his eye that attested to his blindness.

Time hadn't been quite as kind to his friend as it had been to him.

"The fire still burns," the cat stated.

"Yes," Vincent confirmed, removing his coat and tie and throwing them over a chair. "I must return to work in a few hours. There are still many that require medical attention."

Red nodded, his head bobbing slowly. "Certainly."

Vincent paused. Should he tell Red? "I received a patient that looked very familiar this evening."

"Oh?" Red asked.

Vincent nodded, then remembered to verbally confirm himself. "Yes. I confronted him on the subject and he identified himself as Cloud Strife."

Red thought a moment. Vincent could almost hear the cat shifting through thousands of years of memories. When you lived this long, recall wasn't as instant as it once was. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time," Red finally murmured. "Cloud Strife…are you sure?"

"Who else but Cloud Strife would identify himself so? The more I think about it, the more ludicrous and the more probable it seems. No one even remembers us from back then. Most of this planet's history was destroyed in the world war. What's left is word of mouth, passed on and exaggerated generation to generation."

"Cloud died, Vincent. Why would he be back?"

Vincent didn't have an answer for him. "I'm not sure. I'm expecting a call from him later this afternoon. Perhaps we'll have some more information to go on then."

"If he's here, alive, that can only mean one thing, Vincent."

Vincent arched an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Sephiroth's back."

* * *

Oooooh! New characters! Vincent has got to be my favorite character XD next to Squall, of course. And what is Sephy up to?

Have a wonderful week, ladies and gentlemen. Don't succumb to end-of-school stress!

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	16. Chapter 16

Hey, guys! Happy Easter! :D

**Kurosukai:** Thanks, ma'am XD I do what I can. Bwaha that rhymed ^-^

**Silverstargirl:** Lol I know! He's amazing XD ...poor Red :_:

**DaughterOfScorceress-Lion:** Lol it's okay. I laughed ^-^ And I know. Poor Rinoa *sniff*

**Thatotherguy:** Well, thanks ^-^

Disclaimer: I wish.

* * *

Cloud wasn't the least bit interested in trying to explain his reasons for being here to Squall's subordinates. On the contrary, he was dreading it.

"It's necessary," Irvine insisted bluntly, his hat pulled down over his closed eyes as he reclined back in his seat inside the briefing room. The cowboy had dark circles under his eyes and a tired look about him, testifying to the long night they had had.

Cloud crossed his arms. "Why?" He seemed to be feeling much better than the rest of the people around the Garden. Probably due to the Mako in his system.

Irvine cracked open an eye from underneath his hat. "You want the Garden's help, don't you?"

"I don't need the Garden's help," Cloud insisted, leaning back against the large table at the center of the room. "Squall doesn't like the idea either."

"This meeting is completely off the record," Irvine promised his eye sliding shut again. "As far as the Garden is concerned, Squall's still on leave and it's got nothing to do with why you're here."

Cloud grunted. This probably wouldn't end well. And he had a meeting with Vincent at lunch. His time would be better spent preparing for that.

_-This is more important. You need Balamb's backing, or at least a few of them on your side,-_ Squall informed, unhappy, but also strangely resolved.

'_I've never needed military help before,'_ he claimed. _'Why would I now? This will just complicate things with a lot of red tape. It'll slow us down. Who knows what Sephiroth's out there doing while we're just sitting here?'_

_-You had a team when you fought him before,-_ Squall pointed out impatiently.

'_I also fought him alone the second time,'_ Cloud replied with equal irritation.

He heard the click of heels on tile and turned to see the blonde woman Irvine had spoken to in Deling enter the room. "Sorry I'm late," she announced, her cool glance passing over Irvine and landing on Cloud. She looked about as tired as Irvine did.

"Where's Zell and Selph?" Irvine asked without opening his eyes.

"On their way," the woman promised.

_-Quistis,-_ Squall offered, sounding annoyed.

As if on cue, footsteps and voices were heard approaching. The two entered together a moment later. A blond man with a martial artist's build came in first, followed by a small, irritated looking girl with brunette hair in an orange sun dress.

"I did not," the girl insisted to the blond man.

"Did too," he replied with a taunting grin plastered on his face. It quickly contorted into a grimace when the girl brought her tiny fist down over his head. "OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Knock it off, Zell," Irvine grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

'_I'm supposed to reason with this? This is a madhouse!'_ Cloud groaned to his host.

_-They just need some discipline,-_ Squall assured, his tone weary, as if he had expected as much.

"She started it!" Zell whined.

"Are we four years old now?" Quistis demanded. "Grow up."

"Can we-" Cloud began.

"It's not my fault!" Zell interrupted. "Did you see what she did?!"

"Um, guys?" Cloud tried again.

"I didn't do anything," Selphie responded sweetly.

"We-"

"You nailed me over the head!"

"I just-"

"It was a forceful pat."

"HEY!" Cloud snarled. Every eye was on him, surprise clear on every face, like they just noticed he was in the room. Even Irvine had sat up. "Sit down and shut up!"

The three newcomers immediately seated themselves without another word.

"Thank you," Cloud grumbled.

_-Well-handled,-_ Squall commented, almost sounding impressed.

"Uh, guys, this is Cloud," Irvine introduced uncertainly.

Selphie snickered. "Cloud?" she whispered to Zell under her breath.

'_It really isn't that funny,'_ Cloud said darkly when he felt a wave of Squall's amusement.

"He's got a job for us," Irvine continued, slouching back in his chair, his surprise forgotten.

"I assume Xu and Nida's absence means this is off the books?" Quistis asked.

Irvine nodded, replacing his hat over his eyes. "That's right."

"What about Squally? He's going to want to hear this," Selphie pointed out.

_-…Squally?- _

Cloud couldn't help the smirk that found its way to his lips.

"Squall's here," Irvine stated, his eyes sliding shut.

Selphie frowned. "Where? Shouldn't we get him?"

"I mean he's _here_, Selph."

The group looked a bit uneasy at this announcement, as if debating Irvine's soundness of mind to themselves. "Care to share?" Zell questioned, leaning forward.

"Not really. Cloud can do it."

Cloud blinked as all eyes, save Irvine's, shifted to him. _'Thanks, Irvine,'_ he grumbled to himself. "Well, I'm-"

_-Don't say dead.- _

"-Here to explain a certain situation I believe Garden should be aware of," Cloud said. "I know the cause of the fire last night."

Quistis arched an eyebrow. "Really? What was it, then?"

"A man named Sephiroth."

The blank stares he received really weren't the reaction he was used to.

He sighed, and with great resolve, pressed on.

* * *

Cloud approached the house with caution. He was on edge, though he really wasn't sure why. The place looked nice enough. The house had two stories and was situated on a hill about twenty minutes from Deling. The lawn was neatly kept and the house looked well-maintained. He wasn't sure what it was about the place that bothered him.

He slipped past the large metal gate and made his way up the sidewalk, then to the door. He raised a gloved hand and knocked solidly three times.

He heard faint footsteps and the door swung open. Vincent stood there, and Cloud almost did a double take. It was so very strange seeing him, looking the same as he did the day Cloud died, but with his long ebony hair pulled back in a low ponytail and wearing blue jeans and a button up shirt. Cloud had never seen him in anything other than his black jumpsuit and red cape, save for five funerals and two weddings.

"Come in," he ordered. His voice wasn't as rough as Cloud remembered it, but still held in it a certain authority.

Cloud stepped inside and took in his surroundings. He was in a welcoming hall that joined with a dining room and kitchen. The place looked very neat, all the chairs pushed underneath the table and all the rugs properly aligned. It had a decidedly Wutain theme, using mostly neutral colors along with natural-looking reds, blues, and greens. He spotted several vases he distinctly remembered belonging to Yuffie. He wondered if they were replications and decided to ask later.

_-I haven't ever seen anything quite like them,-_ Squall commented.

'_I didn't know you were into art,'_ Cloud smirked.

_-I'm not,-_ he said defensively. _-Rinoa is.-_

He followed Vincent into a living room and both sat down in a chair. No one spoke for a long time, each just watching the other. Cloud was starting to feel uncomfortable, but thought it might be best for Vincent to initiate the conversation.

"You look just like him."

Cloud blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You look just like Cloud. But Cloud died a long time ago," Vincent said, his crimson eyes meeting Cloud's.

"I'm back."

"Why?"

"I think you know," Cloud informed. "What other reason would the Planet have of returning me with my memories if there wasn't a certain threat it felt only I could take care of?"

Vincent considered this. "Sephiroth?"

Cloud nodded.

"I told him," a voice chimed in.

Cloud glanced toward the hallway and his eyes widened. "Red?!" he asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

The cat entered slowly, his steps, once powerful and certain, now weak and wobbly. Red was old. Very old. Cloud couldn't help but feel somehow disappointed and incredulous. It was like the look on Marlene's face when Cloud had to tell her the Tooth Fairy wasn't real. He had always known Red, unlike Vincent, was mortal, but he had never seemed to be touched by time. Even when Cloud was so old he was robbed of his ability to walk, Red had appeared young and vibrant.

Seeing Red like this was something of a shock.

"It has to be Sephiroth, doesn't it? It always is with you," he chuckled, the sound dry and wheezy. The cat moved around the sofa and sat himself down on the ground. Red used to hate sitting on the ground, always preferring the height a chair or couch offered. He probably couldn't jump that high, now.

"Stop staring, Cloud," Red admonished lightly, and Cloud noticed for the first time that the cat was blind. "I watched you grow old. I suppose it's your turn now."

"Sorry, Red. It was just…"

A smile stretched across the cat's lip, revealing a perfectly intact set of teeth. "You're surprise was expected. You say Sephiroth has returned, but you have yet to say why."

Cloud cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's something along the lines of world domination."

"How original," Red commented. "I assume you're here to petition for Vincent's help?"

"Yeah, something like that." Cloud looked to Vincent.

The brunet blinked owlishly at him. "If Red believes you, I suppose you are Cloud."

Cloud nodded. "Will you help us?"

"I suppose I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"

* * *

Well, the team's assembling. Mayhem is sure to follow XD

Hope you guys have a great Easter Break, if you get one! Thanks for reading, and leave a review, if you please.

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! Sorry this has taken so long! I've gotten a bit bogged down with end of the year work and juries, but hopefully it'll be easier now.

**Kurosukai: **Bwaha poor Cloud XD And yeah, poor Red . Irvine definitely is lazy, tho XD

**Silverstargirl: **Lol yeah, poor Vincent. I don't think he can handle Zell's personality XD

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: **Lol I wanna read it! I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Sounds entertaining ^-^

Disclaimer: I would hope you've all caught on by now.

* * *

Cloud paced the lobby nervously with Squall's friends standing around him. Vincent would arrive shortly then they could be on their way.

He would be chasing Sephiroth again.

The plan was to head to where Nebelhiem used to be. Vincent had said he had checked on the location several times. The most recent, a century ago, had shown the town had almost been completely reclaimed by the surrounding forest, with few recognizable structures remaining. The only real exception was the basement of the mansion.

That's where they were headed. It was the first place Cloud found any real answers back so many years ago. Maybe it would help him again.

_-I doubt he'll be hiding in a dusty old basement,-_ Squall remarked, sounding unimpressed.

'_I don't think he's hiding there. But maybe he stopped there for something. Maybe researching? A lot's happened since we've been dead, and the basement's the perfect place for a base. It's defensible, secluded, and with the right equipment, he'd have access to the world wide database. Most of all, it's familiar to him.'_

_-If you insist.-_

Squall really hadn't been happy ever since he'd found out they'd be leaving so soon. He wanted more time with Rinoa to make sure she'd stay safe. She still hadn't regained consciousness yet and Squall was becoming more and more concerned. It had been three days already.

"Is that him?" Quistis' voice jarred him from his musings.

Cloud looked up to see a sleek, expensive looking black car with heavily tinted windows pull up. It parked on the curb and when the door opened, Vincent stepped out. This was the Vincent Cloud remembered.

He wore his black jumpsuit, a close fitting garment that showed off just how ridiculously thin the man was. If Cloud didn't know any better, he would claim the man was sick. He wore his golden pointed shoes on his feet and his left hand was all metal, though it looked slightly different than how Cloud remembered it. Cloud didn't recall seeing it the other day. He must have been wearing a glove or something. His hair was still in its ponytail, but the familiar red band held back the bangs from his eyes. And secured on his shoulders was his red cape, buckled up to hide half of his face from the world. His _Death Penalty _was strapped to his waist.

Vincent Valentine was no longer a doctor.

"Well, _he _looks ready to kick some butt," Selphie remarked.

"Kick butt indeed," Quistis murmured.

"Hey Cloud," Zell spoke up. "You sure this guy is mentally sound? He's what? Two _thousand_ years old? He looks like a circus freak."

Cloud gave the boy an irritated glance. "Vincent is the best of the best."

Vincent opened the back door of his car and Cloud saw something glint in the sun before Vincent's cape got in the way. When Vincent backed away, he was hoisting a large slab of metal with him.

Cloud did a double take. It was his _Buster Sword_!

Cloud walked outside onto the sidewalk to meet Vincent. "Is that-?"

Vincent offered the blade to him. "I've quite the collection of weapons. I found this in my basement when I went in search of my _Death Penalty_."

Cloud accepted the sword with reverence. It appeared to be in almost perfect condition. It still had a leather harness, though it looked new and unused. The metal still bore its old scars, a few of which Cloud recognized, but there wasn't a trace of rust. The metal was polished and when Cloud tugged on a side blade, it came away smoothly. His sword had been well cared for in his absence, not sitting in a basement rusting away.

"That sword is huge!" Selphie squealed, the high pitch sound making Cloud's sensitive ears hurt, even from this distance. Vincent's wince told Cloud he felt the same.

"Thanks, Vincent," Cloud smiled, his pain forgotten with his sword in hand.

Vincent nodded, then his crimson eyes shifted to look behind Cloud.

Cloud turned around to see Squall's team approaching. "Vincent, this is Irvine, Quistis, Zell and Selphie."

Vincent offered them another nod.

Cloud was praying very hard that Zell wouldn't say something stupid. He had been praying for the wrong person.

"You look like a vampire," Selphie remarked matter-of-factly.

Vincent blinked, but didn't say anything.

Cloud sighed. "Let's just go."

* * *

Laguna bit back a yawn as he exited the elevator on the top floor. As he was eating a late dinner, he had suddenly remembered a mass of paperwork he had promised Kiros he would have completed by tomorrow. He had little choice but to return to his office and retrieve it, lest he should cause his friend any more angst. Laguna was already behind due to Squall's visit, and Kiros wasn't a happy camper about it.

He walked down the dimly lit hallway and to his office, stopping before his door to type in the authorization code. With an acknowledging beep, the door slid open, admitting him into his space. He slid his hand up the wall until he caught the light switch and flipped it up. Nothing happened.

With a sigh, he locked the door in place to allow light from the hall to spill in. With the curtains drawn, there was no other illumination to be had in the room. He would have to ask a janitor to see about replacing the light bulbs in the fixture later.

He stepped carefully to his desk to avoid tripping on a chair or a rug, but still managed to, regardless. He hissed as he banged his knee on the side of the desk. _"Youch,"_ he moaned, massaging his leg. He stood up and leaned on the desk as he sifted through several piles of paper and a few dozen folders until he located the one he was after.

The door beeped, but by the time he turned around, it was closed, thrusting him into complete darkness.

"My my. This is convenient."

Laguna's spine snapped to attention. "Who's there?" he demanded, squinting into the blackness.

"I planned to have to wait here all night, then you come here alone and unarmed," the deep baritone voice purred. "I'm almost disappointed."

Two luminous green eyes appeared out of the darkness. They were the color one might associate with poison, with slits for pupils and some kind of sick amusement in their depths.

"Who are you?" Laguna asked again, slowly backing up to place the desk between them. Every hair on his body was on end, a thick fear tightening his chest and stomach. Everything about this being, whoever he was, screamed of untold power. Now that he was aware of his presence, he could feel it in the air, a subtle current of raw force.

"Mr. President, my name will mean nothing to you in the Lifestream," he assured Laguna, slowly stepping forward. "But don't worry. Your death will serve my plans well."

"What plans?!" Laguna demanded, backing up toward the bookshelf behind his desk. He couldn't let fear control him. Those who came after him would need this information. This had to be that guy Cloud told them about. His recorder was on a shelf. If he could just reach it, then maybe whoever discovered him would find the answers they needed. His hand searched the shelf behind him, shaking with adrenaline and fear.

The man chuckled. "My plans to eradicate the human race, then sail the cosmos, with this planet as my vessel. You are but a stepping stone to that end."

Laguna's shaking hand found the devise and he switched it on. He hoped that was the right button, since he couldn't turn around to check.

"Your death will hurl the planet into chaos. Without their president to unite them, your country will soon divide and the military institutes of this world will have no higher power to obey. Galbadia will be free to attack Esthar while in such a confused state and war will surely ensue. Half of my work will be done for me, then, won't it?"

Laguna couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was a lot to take in; especially considering the amount of time he had left on this planet. "What then? You can't honestly believe that those left will just stand there and let you take over!"

His eyes had adjusted enough by now for him to see the smirk that spread across the other man's lips. "I don't doubt there will be some resistance, but those that do will be easily slaughtered by chaos."

Chaos? "What do you mean?"

"Chaos. The Reaper of Souls. Why must you delay the inevitable, Mr. President?" the man inquired, bringing his arm up. In it was clutched a long katana that was as long as Laguna was tall. Maybe longer. "As I have said, knowing my plans won't help you. Perhaps it will ease your mind to know that your precious Raine will be there to meet you."

Laguna almost choked, but he wasn't sure himself if it was the mention of his dearly departed wife, or the blade that had just been thrust into his abdomen.

* * *

The human looked surprised as Sephiroth plunged _Masamune_ into him. His green eyes widened and his mouth opened in a gasp. Then, his lips slackened and his body went limp. The former president slid off the blade and fell to the floor with what most would have considered a sickening thump.

It was almost a shame to have to kill the man. He reminded him so much of Zack…

Now there was a destructive train of thought. Zack and his treason. Sephiroth would have done well to have done what his mother asked and killed him in the beginning.

This was all irrelevant now, though. Sephiroth never made the same mistake twice. This poor fool had to die for his plans to be accomplished.

Now, for the next step.

* * *

O.O NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

...ahem. We're okay now.

Well, hopefully we're back on track with updates! Leave a review, if you please.

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	18. Chapter 18

Hey guys! Here's chapter 18 :D

**Kurosukai:** Vincent likes to be dramatic. Let the poor boy have his fun.

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** *pats* It'll be okay...I'm sure...

**Thatotherguy:**SCHOOL'S OUT!!! XD

**Silverstargirl:**I'm sure Selphie and Vincent will get along fine. Sometimes she reminds me so much of Yuffie that I accidentally type 'Yuffie' when I'm referring to her. Sad, isn't it?

**rebirth-flame:**Well, there's a bit more Squall POV in here for you, but I'll try to fit in some more :D

Disclaimer: In my dreams.

Spoiler: HE'S ALIVE!!!

* * *

Kiros paced the waiting room, his entire being a live wire. He felt like he would snap at any minute.

He had been asleep when the janitor called with the news. The poor man had found President Loire on the floor in a pool of his own blood and had already phoned the paramedics. Kiros had thrown on a shirt and arrived in minutes, just in time to see them wheeling his friend into an ambulance. All he saw was Laguna's pale face and a lot of blood.

Now he was in surgery. They had been able to restart his heart when they arrived on scene, but they were far from out of the woods yet. The nurse had informed Kiros that the sword used had punctured a lung, but missed his major arteries, veins and other vital organs. But he had lost so much blood they weren't sure if they could save him, and if he would ever wake up if they ever managed to stabilize him.

And Kiros would have the duty to inform Laguna's family. That meant Ellone and Squall. Ellone would be distraught, but it was really Squall Kiros was worried about. He could be so unpredictable…

"Mr. Kiros?"

He turned around to regard a short blonde nurse. "Yes?" he asked, the query coming out more demanding than he would have liked.

"He's stable, sir. We've stopped the bleeding and he'll require many transfusions, but as far as physically, he'll be alright."

Kiros stared at her long and hard, praying that the next answer would be what he wanted to hear. "When will he wake up?"

She glanced away. "We don't know."

"He will, though. Right?"

"I-"

"He has to!"

She gave him a sympathetic gaze. "We're doing all we can." On that note, she turned and left.

Kiros was breathing hard. Without Laguna…he didn't know what would come of his world. Or Gaea, for that matter.

* * *

Cloud couldn't say he recognized the place. If it hadn't been for Vincent, he would have walked right on by.

The only thing that possibly hinted at the existence of a town here was a pile of rock that could have once been a building of some kind.

"You're sure there was a town here?" Irvine asked, toeing a rusted bit of metal with his boot. "Looks more like an old makeshift camp."

"This is it," Vincent murmured from behind them.

Cloud surveyed the area. "You said it's been a century since the last time you've been here. Do you know where the mansion stood?"

Without further comment, Vincent drifted off into the forest.

"That guy is creepy," Zell muttered, following after the ex-Turk. With a giggle, Selphie bounded after him, Irvine hot on her heels.

Cloud hesitated. It was amazing how much time had changed the place. Most of the town had been made of wood, so there wasn't much left to give Cloud perspective. Even the cries of the various monsters around the area didn't sound familiar. It didn't feel like home.

Squall was becoming impatient. _-Of course not. It's been two thousand years. We should join the others.-_

"You alright?" Quistis asked from behind him.

Cloud glanced over his shoulder before responding. "Yeah," he said quietly, moving off in the direction the others had gone. He heard Quistis following.

When they arrived about ten minutes later, they found the group gathered around a hole in the ground.

"Seriously, Vincent?" Selphie was asking, her tone pleading. "Do you know what kinds of things live in sewers?"

"She's right," Zell continued, crossing his arms. "It may not even be structurally sound anymore."

Vincent stared at him, unimpressed. "Would you rather dig your way through twenty feet of dirt and concrete?"

Zell glowered. "No, but there's gotta be some other way-"

"There's not," Vincent interrupted. He glanced at Cloud and Quistis as they joined them, then back down into the hole. The sun was at an angle that made it impossible to see inside, but Cloud could hear the trickle of water and some splashing.

"Hey, Cloud?" Irvine asked from over to the side.

Cloud looked up. "Yeah?"

"Didn't you say Sephiroth had wings?"

Cloud frowned. "Yes."

Irvine stooped down and came back up with a long feather the color of the night sky clasped between two gloved fingers. "This the color?"

Cloud felt himself stiffen. "That's it."

"Could he still be here?" Quistis asked.

"It's possible," Vincent replied, unruffled by the prospect. "I suggest we proceed with caution."

Cloud nodded. "I'll go in first. Then I want Irvine, Zell, Selphie, Quistis, then Vincent." He was conscious to keep Zell and Selphie away from Vincent.

Everyone nodded in consent, so Cloud drew his _Buster Sword_ in one hand and had a flashlight in the other. He doubted he would need it, but the others might. And maybe he could blind any monsters they ran into.

_-You don't have any spells junctioned,-_ Squall pointed out.

'_I never was too big on magic.'_

Squall sighed. _-Whatever. Just don't get us killed.-_

* * *

He really hated this more than anything.

He hated practically losing his free will, and he hated not being able to directly converse with his friends.

But he really hated it when he heard Selphie scream and he was completely powerless.

Cloud turned around, allowing Squall a view of the monster with his strongly enhanced eyes.

The creature was mostly submerged in the water, but it appeared to be short and long, with at least six tentacles for legs and seemingly no eyes. On the top of its head was a mouth ringed with teeth. It was a species Squall was unfamiliar with.

It also had a tentacle around Selphie's leg. She was beating it with her nunchuks, but the creature didn't appear fazed in the least.

Before Cloud or anyone else could react, Vincent put a bullet into its head. The thing twitched and writhed in the water before going still, its grip on Selphie slackening.

She jumped away. "Thanks, Vincent," she breathed.

Vincent just nodded, lowering the _Death Penalty_.

That was the fifteenth monster.

'_You've been counting?'_ Cloud asked.

_-I don't have much else to do,-_ he snapped back.

Cloud silenced all thoughts directed at Squall, allowing him some measure of peace, but as they had traveled, Cloud's thoughts had become more and more erratic and his emotions more volatile. In his mind's eye, Squall kept seeing flashes of a short man with twisted features, glasses and long, oily black hair. Then a tank of liquid with various tubes and wires attached to it. He felt a vivid recollection of pain.

Then Squall saw a young man, not much older than Cloud, with raven spikes and vibrant blue eyes. In most of the images, he wore a brilliant smile, but in others, a pained grimace.

'_Zack,'_ was all Cloud offered to Squall's curiosity before his mind wondered back to his memories.

"Are we almost there?" he heard Zell ask behind him.

Cloud stopped a second, glancing around. "Vincent? Do you remember where the hatch is?"

"Not far ahead," he responded quietly.

_-Hatch?-_ Squall queried.

'_Hojo had a chute that lead from the basement to the sewers. He threw all of his sanitized, biodegradable waste down here. Like corpses.'_

Squall saw an image of a withered man that was nothing but bones. He had no eyes, just empty sockets, but two thin, shriveled wings protruded from his bare back. He was obviously dead.

'_His name was Victor. His body rejected the wings Hojo had sewn on him. He died and Hojo flushed him.'_

If he'd had possession of his spine, Squall might have shuddered. But the emotionless tone Cloud spoke in claimed he was no virgin to this kind of atrocity.

'_I was his lab rat for about five years. Me and Zack._

'_This is it.'_

Their eyes were fixed on a dark square framed by rusted metal on the ceiling over the water. It was large enough to fit a chocobo through.

"How are we supposed to get to it?" Quistis asked.

Zell threw her a look. "We just have to-"

"Stepping in the disgusting, monster-infested water is not an option," Quistis interrupted sternly.

"We could try Float," Irvine suggested.

"I don't think it'd get us close enough," Selphie said, observing the distance between the water and the hole.

Irvine turned to look at Vincent. "How did you get in there last time?"

Vincent looked at him evenly. "I jumped."

"That?!" Zell exclaimed. "No way!"

His crimson eyes shifted to Cloud and Squall. "I will go ahead and clear the area." On that note, he turned and leapt off the walkway as if he weighed nothing. He easily cleared the distance and caught his clawed hand of the lip of the chute. He then pulled himself up and disappeared inside.

"Pick your jaw up off the floor, Zell," Irvine smirked. "Before you trip on it."

Zell glared at the cowboy, but closed his mouth. "That's ridiculous! How can he jump that far?!"

"You guys wait here," Cloud instructed. "Keep your radios on. Vincent and I shouldn't be long."

He placed his sword in its sheath on his back and gave his flashlight to Quistis.

_-You're sure you can make that?-_ Squall asked. But he could feel the strange, alien power that thrummed through their shared body. He felt the unnatural strength Cloud possessed.

'_Sure,'_ Cloud replied before throwing himself off the edge.

Squall thought for the briefest second that they weren't going to make it. He thought Cloud had underestimated the distance and now they were going to fall into the murky water and be devoured by unseen monsters.

But Cloud's fingers met the lip of the hole and he felt his body jar to a halt.

Though nowhere near as graceful as Vincent, Cloud swung around and began to pull himself up and they began making their way up the vertical shaft, the walls slick with centuries of slime.

"Zell, pick up your jaw," he could hear Irvine snickering.

* * *

Poor Zell. So abused. I think he's developing quite the hatred for Vincent. Probably just envious of his hard-core-ness XD

Well, if you would, leave a review and let me know how I'm doing! I would like to know where this story needs improving, or if there's something you'd especially like to see.

Hope you all have a great week!

God Bless,

-RainFlame


	19. Chapter 19

Hey, guys! Hope you're all having a great week :D

**Kurosukai:** Working on it...Thanks for editing ^-^

**Silverstargirl:**Much more Zell abuse to come! :D

**Thatotherguy:**Who wouldn't? XD

**DaughterOfScorceress-Lion:**Yeah, I thought of that...but I couldn't stand the thought of letting Laguna die ;_; So we just had to settle for a clumsy Sephiroth ^-^

**rebirth-flame:** Well, it was to create chaos in the world. And I do what I can ;D

Disclaimer: Is this necessary? :T

* * *

The shaft was not especially long, per se. The exit was clearly visible and not too far off. The walls, however, were terribly slick and it wasn't easy for Cloud to find purchase.

_-For the record, this would be a pathetic place to die,-_ Squall commented when they had slipped down a good ways.

'_I'll see what I can do,'_ Cloud responded, struggling to pull himself back up.

It turned out to be a fortunate thing Cloud had asked the others to stay behind. Squall doubted they all could have made the perilous climb, much less the jump.

'_Almost there…'_ Cloud said, more to himself than to Squall.

Cloud's hand slipped again, causing both of his booted feet to lose their tenuous grip and they were falling.

But their body came to a sudden halt when a hand wrapped itself around Cloud's flailing wrist.

Vincent effortlessly hoisted them up and set Cloud down on the dusty metal floor. "Thanks," Cloud breathed, panting and stretching his cramping fingers.

The brunet nodded. "This room is now free of monsters," he informed, his husky voice echoing strangely in the dead silence.

Now? Squall hadn't even heard gunfire. But when Cloud's eyes flicked to Vincent's claw, Squall noticed the crimson liquid dripping from its tips.

The room they stood in was pitch black, though Cloud's enhanced vision had little trouble. Cloud recognized this as one of the storage rooms. Several glass tubes large enough to fit a man inside lined one wall, several broken. Rusted metal crates covered half the room, piled to the ceiling. Bits of ancient machinery were scattered here and there.

Through Cloud's sensitive nose, Squall could smell mildew, rust, animal scents, and faint chemicals.

_-Shouldn't you be wearing your __oxygen tank__?-_ Squall asked.

'_Mako will filter that stuff out,'_ Cloud explained absently as he took in the old room.

_-And Vincent?-_ Squall pressed, dissatisfied with Cloud's lack of concern.

'_Vincent is…special.'_

Squall caught a flicker of one of Cloud's memories. It was Vincent, his body writhing and contorting, his mouth agape in a scream. His canines elongated and his body stretched to form some kind of monster with golden eyes and huge tattered wings.

'_Chaos,'_ Cloud offered. _'He returned to the planet, but that was one of at least four monsters in Vincent's body. I don't know how many he still has, really. He doesn't talk about it much.'_

_-They give him powers?-_ Squall asked, regarding Vincent out of the corner of Cloud's eyes.

'_Yeah.'_

"There is nothing here to see," Vincent informed. "I suggest we move on." He stepped past Cloud, his cape trailing him and stirring up dust as he exited the room.

Cloud followed. "We should look in the library first. That would be the most likely place Sephirothwould set up base."

Vincent nodded in front of them as he led them down the narrow hall and around a cave-in that spilled onto the floor.

When they arrived in the spacious room, Cloud was a bit disappointed. The metal shelves were still stacked neatly in rows, though several had collapsed. The stair case was just a rusted heap on the floor.

But the books were nothing but dust. The moisture in the air had proven to be too much for them over the centuries.

_-What was so special about them?-_ Squall asked.

'_They held everything. Every one of Hojo's experiments, pieces of literature from around the world, information on anything you could think to look for. Everything about Sephiroth, from his birth to the __Nebelhiem__ incident was here.'_

_-We don't need to know his childhood,-_ Squall reminded impatiently. _-We just need to figure out what he's doing.-_

Sephiroth's attack on Deling had really brought the situation home for Squall. With Rinoa in the hospital, Squall was bound and determined to watch Sephiroth die, one way or another.

"Look," Vincent murmured, pulling their attention away from their conversation.

Cloud looked to the space on the floor where Vincent pointed a clawed finger. Dried black blood had pooled there, not more than a few days old.

"Think it's Sephiroth's?" Cloud inquired.

"Doubtful. It is difficult at best to make the man bleed," Vincent responded quietly with a hint of venom in his voice. He then moved off into the library to look around.

Cloud's eyes were drawn to a faint glowing light off to the side. He turned to follow it and rounded a bookcase to see a rusted desk. On it sat a wireless computer model, its standby light blinking slowly.

"Vincent?" Cloud called, seating himself on the available stool. His hands shook as he hit the power button. 'Sephiroth had been here very recently if his computer hasn't died.'

_-Why would he just leave it here?-_Squall questioned, immediately sensing something wrong with this picture. Sephiroth may be insane, but from what Squall had gathered, he wasn't stupid or careless.

'_Maybe he didn't think anyone would come looking,'_ Cloud guessed as the desktop finished loading.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, coming to stand over Cloud's shoulder.

Cloud didn't respond as he drug the cursor over the screen. He soon discovered there was no signal for the worldwide database, but there was a flash drive connected to the devise. Cloud searched through all the files, which contained all of the major happenings around the world over the past several centuries. When it came to the most current, Cloud found many articles pertaining specifically to President Loire.

"Why would he leave this information for us to find?" Vincent echoed Squall's concerns. "It's a foolish move."

_-Why is he so interested in the President?-_ Squall wondered.

"I don't know," Cloud responded to both. Then, to Vincent, he speculated, "Maybe he doesn't know we're alive. And who else would know about this place?"

Vincent didn't respond to Cloud's musings. "Take the computer. We'll finish here, then we can leave."

Cloud obliged reluctantly, shutting the device off and slipping it into his pack. They followed Vincent back into the various exam rooms.

Inside Cloud's mind was something like a horror film. Squall saw many things that made him feel cold all over. Images of animals and humans alike being maimed and cut to pieces, then sewn back together. He felt scalpels tearing through his flesh and cold metal in his insides. He could feel himself drowning in tanks of Mako, the horrible liquid seeping into his every pore and setting every nerve on fire.

"Look," Vincent's gruff voice interrupted, stemming the tide of Cloud's memories. Cloud's eyes shifted to the room Vincent indicated.

Inside was a strange array of objects Squall didn't recognize, but several immediately registered in Cloud's mind. The room was bare, save for an operation table with rusted metal restraints and another smaller table used for holding tools and equipment. On this table, piled fairly high, were round stones of various colors, all the size of a man's fist.

"Summons materia?" Cloud asked aloud. "Aeris said there were no more on the planet."

"There aren't," Vincent assured him. "All of that materia is dead. I am unsure of where Sephiroth could have found it."

"What are these over here?" Cloud asked, moving into the room to stand over the operation table. In the center were some uneven jewels that glowed dully in the light from Cloud's eyes.

"Materia became harder and harder to find, so these jewels were manufactured to call the Summons," Vincent explained.

Cloud frowned. "What came after that?"

"Nothing. The jewels proved to be too weak to contain the Summons's spirits. They broke free and now reside around the world. To employ their services, you must prove your worth by battling them. If you are strong enough to defeat them, they will allow you to establish a mental link with them by giving you a piece of their spirit. Then you can summon them whenever you like."

_-GF's?-_ Squall asked.

'_I guess so,'_ Cloud responded. "He seems to be pretty interested in summoning someone."

Vincent nodded. "Let's look in the holding cells, then we can leave."

Cloud followed him out and down the hallway. He almost ran into Vincent, however, when he came to a sudden halt.

"Vincent?" Cloud asked, tensing. Vincent was standing frozen in mid step, not even breathing.

A low snarl had both Cloud and Vincent whirling around. Cloud brought his sword up in a defensive position and Vincent leveled his _Death Penalty_.

Two golden eyes stared at them from the darkness. Squall had barely even gotten a glimpse of the giant cat before it leapt at them.

* * *

Bad kitty.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you have the time :D

God Bless,

-RainFlame


	20. Chapter 20

Hello, dear readers!

Several of you have commented on how the past couple of chapters have been dragging. I have a confession to make. I...have..._writer's block_ *twitches*. The good news: Looks like it's letting up. The bad news: Not for another chapter or two :O

Yes, this chapter is short and towards the end, a bit over dramatic. Do I mind? Nooooooooo. The more angst, the merrier XD

Kurosukai: Yes, you inspired that whole ending thing :D Thankies. And thanks for editing.

Silverstargirl: Don't side with the kitty! She's evil, I tell you!

Thatotherguy: Bah. I'm fairly consistent.

DaughterOfSorceress-Lion: I thought it looked funny too...but my editor didn't complain :D And Squall finds out here. Poor Squall...

rebirth-flame: Things should start rolling again here pretty soon...I pray. I do enjoy picking on Zell and will have to add more of that in XD And Rinoa wasn't forgotten. She's just kinda hard for me to write, so I figured she was of better use in a coma ;D And I'm certainly glad you guys are sticking with me, even when it gets slow and confusing. Feel free to message me with any questions and I'll try to explain things to the best of my ability :)

Disclaimer: *sniffles* No. I don't.

* * *

It was bigger than a Coeurl, with its shoulders coming up to Cloud's waist. The creature had no fur, but had dark gray scales. Four inch claws grew from its toes, and its mouth sported long fangs. Its enormous golden eyes glittered faintly with hunger.

Cloud barely managed to dodge the feline's first blow, bringing his _Buster Sword_ up to deflect its claws. They made a horrible screeching sound as they raked across the metal.

Cloud ducked into a room just as Vincent squeezed off a shot. It deflected off the monster's scales harmlessly.

The cat growled in irritation, turning its attention from Cloud to Vincent. It raised its paw to swipe at the gunman, but Vincent put a shot into the delicate flesh on its feet.

The beast howled in pain, jumping back to reassess the situation.

"Cloud!" Vincent called.

Cloud sprinted from the room to Vincent's side and together they charged down the hall.

Cloud could hear the cat snarl, then the thump of its feet as it gave chase.

"It's catching up!" Cloud called, glancing over his shoulder. The injury wasn't slowing it down much.

The monster was on their heels now. With the exit still a ways off, Cloud decided to give the _Buster Sword_ a try.

He used the momentum from his run to spin around and thrust the sword at the cat's throat.

It danced away, but not before the metal sliced into its shoulder, splitting the scales and muscle.

It was in that brief second that Cloud noticed a thin silver scar across the same shoulder and one over its eye.

_-Now we know why Sephiroth left in such a hurry,-_ Squall commented.

With a snarl of pain and rage, the creature threw itself at Cloud.

Then, the air was filled with an angry buzzing and Cloud was shoved aside from behind. The cat met Hellmasker's chainsaw.

Cloud had never heard such a scream from any kind of animal as the same leg Cloud had injured was lopped off like a tree limb.

The cat turned tail and fled, carrying its maimed appendage with it as if made its way to safety.

With an insane laugh in a voice not belonging to Vincent, Hellmasker gave chase, his eyes smoldering red and gleaming with blood lust.

"Vincent!" Cloud called. "Come back!"

Hellmasker ignored him completely, too caught up in the thrill of the hunt to allow Vincent any kind of control. They rounded a corner and disappeared.

_-We should wait with the others,-_ Squall suggested. _-He'll come when he's finished, right?-_

'_Yeah, but I can't just-'_

Another scream accompanied the hum of the chainsaw. Then, everything went deathly silent.

Just when Cloud was about to go looking, Vincent appeared from around the corner, his gun in hand and his cape billowing behind him. He was covered in blood and his eyes glowed faintly from Hellmasker's presence. He looked like some god of the dead.

"Are you alright?" Cloud asked, eyeing the crimson liquid.

Vincent nodded. "It's not mine," he assured. "The creature is dead, but there could be more. We should leave."

Cloud knew Vincent well enough to recognize the signs of fatigue. Changing always exhausted him. "Alright, let's go." Cloud took point, leading them back the way they had come.

They traveled in silence, only speaking when they reached the exit.

"You first," Cloud said, stepping back to give him room. He wanted to watch Vincent to see how it was done.

"Very well," the man murmured, leaping over the edge in the same breath. He raked his claw against the edge until it caught on the lip at the bottom, then swung out of sight.

'_Well, that looks easy enough,'_ Cloud decided with sarcasm, sheathing his weapon.

_-Don't get me killed,-_ Squall warned.

Cloud smiled before jumping down.

He threw his hands off and dug his fingertips into the sludge. It did little to slow his decent, but he came to a sudden stop when his fingers hit the lip. He saw the others now, all waiting on the walkway.

"That took _forever_!" Selphie whined, blinding him with a flashlight. "We were jumped by monsters, like, fifty times!"

Cloud swung himself and landed on the walkway in a crouch. "Sorry," he apologized, straightening. "We had an issue."

"Bite someone's neck?" Zell asked Vincent as he eyed the blood that covered the gunman.

Vincent gave him a look, but obviously didn't feel the question warranted a response. He turned and began walking.

Zell seethed at being ignored, but any further comment was forestalled when Irvine put a hand on the blond's shoulder and shook his head.

Quistis began following Vincent. "Did you find anything?"

As they made their way out, Cloud summarized the events that had transpired in the basement, but left out Hellmasker's appearance. No sense in giving Zell more ammo to send Vincent's way.

"So he's trying to summon a GF?" Irvine asked.

"That's what it looks like," Cloud confirmed before hoisting himself out of the sewer.

Outside, the sun had already set, sending this side of the planet into darkness. The moon shone brilliantly, and the stars, though a bit different, were bright enough to remind him of what it was like living here as a child.

His sensitive ears picked up buzzing. He turned to see both Irvine and Quistis pulling out their phones.

With a frown, Quistis flipped hers open. "Kiros called. Twice."

"Me too," Irvine said as he stared at his phone.

Quistis held the device to her ear to listen to her messages. Cloud caught snippets of the recording. Something about the Commander not answering his phone, then about the President. After that, all Cloud could really hear were the words "attempt" and "hospital".

All the while, Quistis' face was paling and her lips slackened. When she hung up, her movements were stiff and her eyes distant.

Cloud felt Squall's fear.

"The President has been stabbed," she announced, her voice hollow. "The attacker had every intention to kill, but all of the President's vital organs were missed. He's in a coma and they don't know when or if he'll wake up.

"The only notable evidence they've found was a black feather."

Cloud was listening, but his attention was torn from Quistis when he sensed something off from the inside.

___

Squall was beyond reasoning and rational thought.

Squall never really liked Laguna, that was no secret. He generally despised the man. He was an idiot who had displayed complete incompetence when it came to his family.

But, regardless, Laguna was his father. Rinoa was _his_ girlfriend. This was _his_ life and _his_planet. If Sephiroth believed he could show up two thousand years later and mess with what belonged to Squall without repercussion, he had another thing coming.

Squall would find Sephiroth. He would find him and kill him. He was out for blood and wouldn't rest until he had it.

'_Squall?'_ Cloud's voice found his consciousness.

The disturbance was enough to destroy Squall's tenuous grasp on his self-control.

Years of pent up and blocked emotions flooded to the front. Every emotion he should have dealt with came to the surface. When he was left alone at an orphanage. When Sis left. When he lost another comrade in battle. When Rinoa was kidnapped by Seifer. When the Sorceress had Rinoa. Now, when everything he held dear was slowly being ripped away from him. All of it rushed to the forefront of his consciousness, his own legion of personal demons.

He screamed as the emotions, all painful and hideous, strove to consume him.

Cloud screamed with him.

* * *

Squall might be slightly OOC here...but I figured if I suddenly felt every negative emotion I had ever experienced all at once, I might scream too .-.

Thank you to all who have reviewed. I really look forward to your feedback after each post ;) I also welcome any new reviewers :D

Hope you all have a splendid week!

God Bless,

RainFlame


	21. Chapter 21

Hey, guys!

**Kurosukai:** Of course he could. He just didn't want to mess with it ;)

**Silverstargirl:** I'm waiting for Vincent to lash out irrationally XD

**Krimson65:** I'm very glad you're enjoying this fic! And Griever? I've never heard of Squall being Griever o.o Now I'm curious. Must research...

**rebirth-flame:** Yes, Hellmasker is one of his limit breaks. And I have no idea how you get him. I've never played VII XD And I'm thinking Rin's going to have a bigger role a bit later, but I'm not too sure at this point...we shall see.

**Thatotherguy:** Eh...I'll work on that. Maybe. If you're lucky XD

Disclaimer: No.

* * *

Irvine was very concerned about the state of things. Namely Squall.

They had returned to Garden at about two in the morning and Cloud was still zoned out. He hadn't said a word since he suddenly screamed. Irvine heard Vincent murmur something about psychological shock and couldn't help but wonder how Squall must be.

But Cloud wasn't responding to questions, so it was anyone's guess.

And to add to it all, Quistis had finally gotten in touch with Kiros earlier. It seemed Squall was requested to assist in the investigation, since they believed he was detached enough to handle it.

_Detached_ was one way of looking at it, Irvine supposed.

"Keep an eye on him," Vincent said in Irvine's ear before turning and heading outside to his car.

"Cloud shouldn't be alone," Quistis said decidedly as she eyed the blond. Cloud was standing with his back to them, staring at nothing. "You or Zell should stay with him tonight."

"I'll take him," Irvine volunteered. Zell wasn't exactly the nurturing type.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just send him to the infirmary?" Selphie asked, worry tinting her voice.

"And tell the doctor what?" Quistis asked.

Selphie looked away. "Guess not. Why can't Vincent watch him, though? Cloud said he was a doctor."

"He didn't seem too concerned," Irvine informed.

Zell snorted. "Such a good friend."

"Let's get some sleep," Quistis sighed, turning and heading toward the girls' dorms.

Irvine took Cloud by the elbow and followed Zell to the men's dorms.

* * *

Someone was shaking him.

Irvine cracked open and eye. A dark shape loomed over him and he jumped. "Hey!"

"It's me," Cloud said, his voice carrying a strange urgency. "We have to go see the President."

If he hadn't been so surprised that Cloud was up and talking, Irvine might have shot him for waking him up at this indecent hour.

"Cloud," he began, glancing at the empty couch where the blond _should_ have been. "It's five in the morning."

"And it'll take most of the day to get there without the Ragnarok," he informed. "We should get moving."

So persistent. Where was his gun when he needed it? "Shouldn't you be in shock or something?" he growled, rolling over.

"Aeris spoke to me!" Cloud exclaimed.

"That dead girl?" Irvine asked, his interest piqued enough for him to keep his eyes open.

"_Yes_, the dead girl," he confirmed impatiently. "She said the President left something to help us find Sephiroth."

Irvine sighed. "What does Squall say?"

Cloud was quiet for a moment. "He says to get your lazy cowboy butt out of bed."

Irvine snorted. "Yes, Commander."

* * *

Cloud was tired, but Squall really couldn't find it in himself to care. Before they had left Balamb, they had gone to see Rinoa and found her asleep. Cloud had asked the nurse about her and though she didn't understand the stranger's curiosity, she had told him that Rinoa was in an induced coma. The pain from the burns would have been more than she could handle, at this point, even with morphine.

And now it was Laguna lying before them in a hospital bed. His flesh was pale and his breathing labored, but he was alive and awake.

"Cloud?" he asked, his voice the weakest and most lifeless Squall had ever heard it.

Cloud shifted his gaze back outside where the others were waiting with the guard detail. Then he looked back to Laguna. "Yeah, it's me."

"And Squall? He's still there, right?" he sounded worried.

""Yes. He's still here," Cloud confirmed.

Laguna sighed, then winced. "Good."

Squall wasn't sure what to think anymore. He knew he should be looking at things from an aloof, military perspective. This should be like any other mission.

But every time he heard the name _Sephiroth_, or thought of Rinoa or Laguna, his rage built evermore. He wanted nothing more than to kill him, to have his throat in his hands or to impale him with _Lionheart_'s blade.

But with this, this host of irrational feelings, Squall couldn't help but feel troubled and overwhelmed. Never before had he wanted one man's blood so much. Never before had he felt so enraged and livid with a thirst for vengeance.

And Squall suddenly wondered when it had all started to matter.

* * *

Squall wasn't with him anymore. He was lost in his own musings.

"Mr. President-"

"Laguna, please," the man requested, his eyes drooping.

Cloud nodded. "Laguna, I need to ask you what happened."

"Have you read the police reports?" Laguna asked.

"No. Squall thought it would be best to come to you," Cloud explained, his eyes wondering to the various machines around the room. "He said you know better than to tell investigators about this kind of thing."

Laguna snorted in derision, then winced. "Glad he gives me some credit. I realize the panic it could cause if something like this became public."

Cloud nodded. "So, what happened?"

* * *

Irvine cracked open an eye from beneath his hat to glare at Zell. "Give it a rest, Zell. If I hear one more vampire joke, I'll shoot you myself."

Zell looked at him from his position over Vincent's shoulder. "C'mon, Irvine, he is one!"

Irvine hoped Vincent was as distracted as he looked. Cloud had been in with Laguna for a half hour. In that time, Vincent had been pouring over the laptop they had discovered in the basement.

"Why don't you do something more productive and beneficial to mankind?" Irvine suggested, closing his eye again.

"Like what?" Zell asked, sounding suspicious.

"Shut up?"

Zell spluttered indignantly, making no sense, as far as Irvine was concerned.

"When are they going to be done?" Selphie interrupted the martial artist's rantings from somewhere to Irvine's right.

But Irvine wasn't listening. He was tired. He'd been awake much too long for his liking and now was the perfect opportunity for sleep. There was just enough noise to offer a dull, soothing roar that made it easy to drift off...

The squeak of Laguna's hospital door signaled the end of his nap. "It's chaos," Cloud's voice announced.

The cowboy opened his eyes blearily and sat up, pushing his hat back with a forefinger. "Of course it is. What does that have to do with-"

"No," Cloud interrupted, looking at Vincent. "It's _Chaos_. That's who he's trying to summon!" There was the barest trace of panic in his voice.

Vincent nodded, not appearing fazed in the least. "I have come to the same conclusion," he said, clicking his odd metal appendage against the laptop.

"What's Chaos?" Quistis asked from her seat on the window sill.

"It is what is called a WEAPON," Vincent informed. "'Omega's squire to the lofty heavens'. When the Planet senses that it is in peril, Chaos will be sent to gather all life of it's inhabitants. When that is finished, Omega will be summoned to pull the rest of the Lifestream from the Planet and leave to settle another world. When that happens, all that will be left is an empty shell of a world."

There was silence as everyone tried to wrap their minds around it all. Irvine was having a bit of difficulty believing it himself.

The world coming to an end?

"What would be the point?" Quistis was the first to recover. "Sephiroth would be ruling a piece of rock."

"He must have a way of cloning himself or something," Zell offered. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be a reason to-"

"Wait," Selphie spoke up,"What if he was planning on repopulating the planet not with clones but with, you know, kids?"

"I don't think the Lifestream works that way, but it doesn't matter _why_," Cloud said. "It's _how. How _can he summon Chaos?" The question was directed at Vincent.

"It is possible that his services can be won just like any GF's," the man said. "In his studies, Sephiroth shows special attention to the mountain ranges near Trabia Garden," he informed, pressing something on the computer.

"It could take months to search the whole range!" Zell cried, horror on his face.

"Sephiroth has several caves marked," Vincent continued, ignoring Zell's outburst. "He seems to think them important."

"Then that's where we're headed," Cloud announced. He tossed something to Vincent, who caught it effortlessly. It took Irvine a second to realize it was a voice recorder. "See what you make of that."

Vincent nodded and tucked it into his pocket.

"Let's move," Cloud ordered, leading the group through the hospital.

As they made their way out of the city, a brief, morbid thought flitted through Irvine's mind; This could be the last time he saw Esthar.

* * *

Yes, that Omega quote was from DoC. My nerdiness knows no bounds.

I know there was something I wanted to tell ya'll here. I just don't remember what...oh well XD

Hope you guys have an amazing week :D

God Bless,

-RainFlame

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

Hello to all! Hope you're all enjoying your summer :D Unfortunately, there's not a lot of Squall in this chappy, or even Cloud for that matter. I was just missing Vincent and thought most of this would be better from his POV anyway ;D

**Kurosukai:** Haha thanks a lot. And thanks for editing, like, all the time XD

**Thatotherguy:** Why yes. Yes it would.

**Silverstargirl:** Bwaha Sephy has no idea what he started XD And I do hope Omega will be lots of fun ^-^

**toejam18:** Thank you! I am certainly glad you're enjoying it :D

**rebirth-flame:** Lol um, actually, I started going off into Squall's dark side, then decided that it was taking up too much space and was a bit too distracting. So I'm thinking about making a one-shot along those lines XD But I do predict much Squall insanity ahead.

Disclaimer: I wish.

* * *

Another slash, then he slid back to dodge a blow, then flew forward to sink his blade deep into the beast's back.

It howled, its webbed wings thrashing. One caught him in the shoulder, but he used the momentum to spin, pulling the sword from the creature only to turn and stab it again.

With a shuddering breath, the monster collapsed on the ground, lying down in defeat.

Sephiroth removed _Masamune_ from its back and stepped back to wait.

"No one…has ever defeated me," Chaos finally rumbled, its mighty voice echoing off the cavern walls. It raised golden eyes to meet Sephiroth's. "Not in over two thousand years. What is it you require of me?"

Sephiroth gave Chaos a pleased smile. "I only wish for you to fulfill the purpose you were created for."

The WEAPON arched an eyebrow on its surprisingly humanoid face. "You wish me to begin the apocalypse?"

Sephiroth nodded once. "Precisely."

"To what end?"

"Being of Jenova's cells, I cannot be absorbed into the Lifestream, nor can those touched by her cells. With the filthy humans gone, this world will once again belong to the Ancients," Sephiroth explained.

"But first, this planet must be rid of humans, and the Lifestream's cycle halted. You shall gather all of the souls before summoning Omega. Then, you will all leave for a new world, leaving this one to the rightful heirs."

It looked thoughtful for a moment. "This is your wish?"

"Yes."

"Then I shall obey when I have recovered." On that note, Chaos laboriously rose to its feet and drug itself back deep into its cave.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, but he reminded himself to be patient. He could not afford to get caught up in matters as trivial as time. He had all the time in the world. In order for the WEAPON to work efficiently and without risk of failure, Chaos had to be fully healed. He could afford a few days to ensure success.

In the meantime, something had captured his interest during his studies. A certain sorceress. Such a source of power seemed worth looking into.

With a stroke of his mighty black wing, he lifted himself from the lip of the cave and into the clouds.

* * *

Vincent pulled hard on the chocobo's reigns, causing the bird to wark in surprise and dig it's heels into the icy ground.

He could smell Chaos. It wasn't a scent easily forgotten. It was the stench of death and the hollow scent of fear that seemed to cling to the WEAPON like a shroud.

Not that Chaos was malevolent, per se. He didn't enjoy the kill, like Hellmasker, nor crave blood like Death Gigas. He only killed because it was his job. To a creature as old and infinite as Chaos, who had seen many souls leave for the Lifestream, then return, death was nothing more than a gateway to new life.

But Chaos was, for lack of a better title, Death. He embodied all that was associated with it. He was pain, fear, acceptance, and the final release.

"Vincent?" It was Cloud, seated behind him.

"This is it," he replied, taking in the vastness of the cave. On either side, frozen stalagmites reached out to meet ice-encrusted stalactites. Ice covered all inside, turning it into a glittering white maw.

Before them was a large pathway. Something fairly good sized traveled through here often.

Irvine pulled his chocobo up beside theirs. Selphie sat in front of him with the cowboy's arms wrapped tightly around her shivering form. "This can't be right. It's the second cave we've been to," Irvine pointed out. "Studies have shown our luck isn't this good."

"Seriously," Zell piped up, bringing the chocobo he shared with Quistis on Vincent's other side. "How do you know this is it?"

"Because," Vincent replied, dismounting his bird. The chocobo backed away with Cloud, eager to be free from Vincent's control. It could sense the demons in him.

"That's not an answer," Zell accused from behind him as the rest of the party dismounted.

Vincent ignored him as he set off deep into the cave, Cloud drawing up close behind him.

Within him, Galian Beast growled softly.

He was vaguely aware of the conversation taking place behind him, but the gunman's focus was elsewhere. Chaos was very stealthy. They could be easily ambushed and not know what hit them.

The wind howled past the mouth of the cave far behind them, making a loud whistle that made Vincent's sensitive ears ache. The cold had little affect on him, though, and he drove a hard pace. The four SeeDs struggled to keep up to Vincent and Cloud.

"Would you mind slowing down?" Quistis asked.

Despite his restlessness and desire to push forward, Vincent slowed.

He could feel Chaos now. All of his demons were becoming increasingly edgy, triggering his fight or flight reflex.

He concluded that no matter how long he lived, that reflex would never fade.

Chaos was nearby. The cave had become so dark that the SeeDs were forced to use flashlights. But it seemed to be gradually brightening now. Up ahead, there was a dim glow.

He inhaled deeply to both focus his mind and scent the air. The smell sickened him.

Finally, they entered a huge cavern. Up above, the ice was thin enough to allow in rays of light. The beams bounced around inside, providing a painful amount of light. Cliffs and large ice formations were strewn around, making it look like a giant maze.

"Welcome, Old Master," a deep voice boomed. Vincent would know it anywhere, even after all this time.

While the party startled and reached for their weapons, Vincent calmly turned his gaze above to the cliff over the doorway. "It has been many years, Chaos."

The WEAPON nodded slowly. Without a human form to restrict him, Chaos had changed very much. He lay stretched out over the cliff, offering a good view of himself. His large hands and feet boasted long, sharp claws and foot-long hard scales blossomed out from his pale head, elbows, and inverted knees, going from white at the base to an inky black at the tips. His face, though having a short wolf's muzzle, had the same molten gold eyes that made him look humanoid.

"What brings you here, Old Master?" Chaos rumbled, a pointed ear twitching.

"I have come to attain your assistance," Vincent announced matter-of-factly.

The beast arched an eyebrow; a gesture Vincent knew wasn't natural to him. He had picked it up from living inside of Vincent for so many years. "Surely you realize that I am no longer a slave to your every whim? My assistance no longer comes without a price to you."

"And it never did," Vincent pointed out. "What must I do?"

Chaos regarded him steadily. "One of your party must defeat me in order to gain my service. That is my condition."

"I'll do it," Cloud announced from beside Vincent.

"No!" Vincent interrupted sternly, causing everyone human to jump. He lowered his voice, but continued with the same urgency. "Chaos is not a creature to be trifled with."

"I don't plan on 'trifling' with him," Cloud informed, irritation coloring his tone.

"You don't know Chaos as I do."

"Which is why you shouldn't fight him," Cloud said, his Mako-blue eyes glowing with urgency. "You know each other too well. It would be like fighting yourself. He'll know what you're going to do before you do it."

"Of the six of us, I stand the best chance," Vincent pressed. "We have both changed in two thousand years, Cloud."

The blond looked unconvinced. "I don't like it," he said finally.

"You don't have to." On that note, Vincent turned to face Chaos again. "I accept your challenge."

Chaos nodded. "Very well, Old Master. Out of respect, I will do my best to refrain from dispatching your soul so early to the Lifestream, regardless of my orders."

"Orders?" Irvine asked.

"From a human tainted by the Calamity's cells," the beast said.

"He beat us," Selphie said quietly, the sentiment of her words echoed plainly in her tone.

"No, not yet," Cloud said with conviction.

But Vincent no longer listened to the pep talks. Chaos was rising to his feet, stepping off the cliff's edge and floating to the ground before their group. Now that he stood in front of Vincent, he was able to note the WEAPON's size. He was over eight feet tall. Several freshly made cuts adorned his figure, mostly healed over, but still very visible. Must have been Sephiroth's doing.

"Now, Old Master, perhaps we will finally discover who is the better between the two, yes?" Chaos grinned, exposing a mouthful of glistening fangs.

Vincent nodded. "Yes, now we shall see."

Chaos mirrored the gesture, then launched himself forward.

Faster than the average human could comprehend, Vincent drew his weapon and fired five rounds into Chaos' figure, but only one hit it's mark. The bullet buried itself into the monster's side, making Chaos yelp in surprise and leaping back.

Vincent used that time to call on Galian Beast's power. He sprinted forward and gathered the demon's energy before springing upwards, to higher ground. His plan was, for now, to drain the monster of energy. Vincent knew from experience that flying was exhausting. If Vincent managed to keep Chaos in the air long enough without wearing himself down, the gunman would be able to overpower the creature.

And technically, it was one against four.

Vincent landed on an icy formation, almost losing his grip on the slick surface. His pointed shoes managed to catch him and he regained his balance.

Chaos had taken to the air by now, but could do little to avoid the spray of bullets that rained down on him. Vincent fired, and when the beast came too close, the gunman left his plane of ice for another, doing his best to stay away from the monster. After all, his weapon was designed for long range use. If Chaos came too close, Vincent would be forced to either use his claws or call one of his demons forward.

But Chaos knew this. The creature darted past another bullet then slid to the side, effectively cutting off Vincent's next jump. Vincent turned to go back the way he had come, only to be blocked off by a torn wing.

"You've grown slow, Old Master," Chaos said, swiping a clawed hand at Vincent.

The gunman didn't reply, catching the appendage with the barrel of _Death Penalty_ before spinning out from under it to slash at Chaos' belly. Chaos pumped a single wing to remove himself from the blow's path, then dove down out of Vincent's sight.

Vincent waited for him to rise back into view. Instead, he heard the shouts of his party. He glanced at them to see them waving and pointing below.

Suddenly, the column of ice he stood on shuddered before making a horrible cracking noise. Then, the whole thing fell, taking him with it.

Vincent didn't have time to think. His consciousness was shoved back out of the way as Galian Beast surged forward to take over. His body became enflamed as his limbs stretched and shifted to form the demon, and he was no longer in control of the situation.

Galian Beast leapt from the crumbling tower of ice and right on to Chaos' back, digging his claws into the WEAPON's flesh.

Chaos howled and bucked, sending Galian Beast flying back and into a frozen wall. Pain exploded all through Vincent as if it were he himself that had been thrown.

But the demon was oblivious to the pain. He picked himself out of the rubble and shook the blood from his eyes before charging again.

Chaos was hovering above, so Galian Beast leapt into the air after him, clamping his jaws down on a leathery wing. As the WEAPON fell to the ground, Galian Beast gathered energy from all the demons he now hosted. It formed glowing light in his palms and with a vicious snarl, he slammed both paws down on Chaos' form.

Chaos screamed as the energy overloaded his system, causing his body to spasm uncontrollably.

Galian Beast retreated inside of Vincent, sensing his work accomplished. The gunman swayed where he stood beside the writhing beast, blood running down his back and staining his clothes. He waited.

Chaos finally stilled, and didn't move for some time. Then he inhaled sharply. "You have not lost…your touch…Master."

* * *

Aww! Cute little Chaos XD

Well, then, hope you enjoyed my attempt at a fight scene...I think it turned out rather well, given I was getting so frustrated with it I was verbally threatening my computer .-. You will be pleased to know that there were no computers seriously harmed in the making of this chapter ;)

Hope to hear from you guys. Let me know if I messed up something or there's something you would like to see :D

God Bless!

-RainFlame


	23. Chapter 23

Hello again! Sorry this update took so long. My writer's block refuses to vanish *bangs head against desk*.

**Kurosukai:** Well thankies. Glad you approved ^-^ Thanks for editing :D

**Silverstargirl:** I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully we'll get a bit more Vincent action before the end.

**Thatotherguy:** Makes me feel better XD

**rebirth-flame:** Squall's about to go all crazy and hard-core XD And I'm glad your brother's enjoying it! And may I ask what site this would be?

Disclaimer: No.

* * *

Vincent almost fell to the ground, but caught himself. The energy Galian Beast drained for the transformation, combined with the injuries he had sustained, proved to be too much for his body. But he wasn't about to fall. Not if he could help it. That would give the impression that they had come to a draw, not to mention the thought of displaying such weakness was enough to disgust him.

He watched with crimson eyes as Chaos drug himself to stand on all fours, looking like some kind of werewolf/. "Name your wish, master, and it shall be done," he said slowly, glancing at the puddle of bluish blood that gathered around his feet.

"Disobey Sephiroth's order," Vincent said, struggling to make his tone commanding. The room was spinning a bit, though, making it difficult to focus.

"I cannot, Master," Chaos said. "What he has set in motion cannot be halted so easily. One wish cannot counteract the other."

"Is this a rule, or your policy?" a voice rang out suddenly, causing Vincent's head to turn. The move made him stagger a bit, but he regained his balance well enough in time to see two Quistis' approaching.

Chaos seated himself on the ice. "I am my own master in this regard, if that is what you speak of."

"Has anyone ever contradicted an order?" she pressed.

"No. I have not been bested by a human of any kind since my defeat at the hands of Grimore Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent. Not until Sephiroth's appearance."

"Valentine?" Someone asked directly behind Vincent. Maybe Irvine.

"My father," Vincent clarified.

"Vincent? Can I have a word?" Cloud asked, coming up beside the gunman. "In private."

Vincent wasn't too keen on moving, but did his best to follow after one of the Clouds to the tiny antechamber outside of the cavern. Incoherent conversation continued behind him.

"Sit down before you fall down," Cloud ordered once they were out of sight.

Vincent propped himself against a wall instead. He wasn't sure he could rise again if he sat. Besides, he was getting cold from blood loss, and the ice beneath his feet looked less than appealing.

Cloud pulled something from his pack and uncorked it, pushing it into Vincent's real hand. "Drink this," he ordered.

Vincent recognized the scent of a potion and obediently downed it, letting the sticky, bitter syrup slide down his throat and begin its work on his system. The pain immediately began to lessen and the room stabilized. Another potion appeared before him and he drank it as well. His strength was returning, his limbs lost their heaviness, and the fiery pain diminished into a dull ache.

"Thank you," Vincent murmured, rising to his full height.

The only remaining Cloud nodded. "You're welcome."

Vincent turned and led the way back into the cavern and found Chaos and the SeeDs staring at one another.

"We have reached something of an agreement," Quistis announced.

The gunman couldn't help but be wary, but Cloud was the first to ask. "What is it?"

"If we kill Sephiroth within three days, Chaos will disregard the order," she said, sounding less than thrilled.

"Three _days_?!" Cloud demanded, making his own displeasure known.

"That is my offer, mortal," Chaos said darkly. "I require time to recover from my injuries. Once that happens, I will begin the destruction of the planet. You have until then."

(Squall POV)

Three days? Three days to kill Sephiroth and save the planet? Was that enough time? So far they hadn't even _seen_ the mad man, let alone confronted him.

"_It's enough."_

_-__Aeris__?-_ Squall asked when his host didn't respond. In fact, Cloud didn't even seem to have heard her.

"_I'm not speaking to him,"_ Aeris explained. _"Three days is enough, but you have to leave, Squall. You have to go back to Balamb Garden."_

Squall didn't like the urgency he found in her voice. _-Why Balamb?-_

"_I don't know,"_ she said quietly, sounding genuinely confused. _"That's all the __Council of Ancients__ will tell me."_

_-It's not good, is it?-_

"_I wouldn't say so. Please hurry, Squall. If you fail, there's nothing we can do to stop the apocalypse."_

_-You can't do anything?!-_ Squall demanded, his tone rising. _-You people are Cetra, right? And you can't do _anything_?!-_

She was already gone.

The commander groaned in frustration, gaining himself Cloud's attention. _'Squall?'_

_-Go back to Balamb Garden,-_ he ordered sharply.

Cloud was surprised. _'Balamb? Why?'_

_-I don't know, just go!-_ he snarled.

The blond winced at Squall's tone, but turned to the others. "Let's go."

Everyone, including Chaos, looked at Cloud.

"Where?" Quistis asked. "We have no leads or any idea where Sephiroth might be."

That name. Squall _hated_ that name.

"We're going back to Balamb to reorganize and rethink our situation," Cloud lied smoothly, but his mind was racing to come up with acceptable reasons to return.

"We can do that anywhere," Quistis protested.

"Wouldn't it be a waste of a whole day going back to do in Garden what we can do right here?" Irvine asked. "It doesn't make much sense."

"It's what Squall wants," Cloud said firmly.

They immediately quieted, then, with a few final glances at Chaos, filed out of the cavern.

'_They have a lot of respect for you,' _Cloud mused.

_-I know,-_ Squall said quietly, his rage having subsided.

It was true. It seemed that they trusted him wholeheartedly with all they had. A word from him was all it took to soothe their fears and dismiss their reservations.

And if these were indeed his last days on the planet, he couldn't think of a finer team he'd rather end it with.

But Rinoa…he wanted to speak to her once more. He wanted to hold her soft hands in his calloused ones and promise her everything would be alright. He wanted to feel her warm lips pressed against his again in a farewell kiss that also promised his safe return. He wanted to hold her against him with her head resting into the space beneath his chin where it fit so well. He wanted to inhale her scent and stroke her soft raven hair.

He just wanted to be with her himself one last time, before it all ended.

Cloud was doing his best to give him his privacy as he walked, each heavy step bringing them closer to that end.

____

Sephiroth was almost disappointed with the security he encountered at Balamb Garden. It wasn't as if he were going out of his way to be stealthy. In fact, he was making it very obvious that there was an intruder in their midst. Yet anytime a squad discovered him in the halls, they were disposed of with hardly any effort at all.

This was all very boring. He had expected more from a military base.

Of course, the Shinra building that housed SOLDIER had been a simple victory as well. It seemed no army could stand against him.

Here he was. The infirmary.

When the door didn't permit him access, he pulled a spell from within himself and hurled the Thundaga at the device. He had been designed to be a fast learner. Without material to contain magicks, he had discovered the way to draw out the magic directly from breaks in the planet's crust and store their energies within himself. Though slightly less potent without material to focus them, his Jenova cells magnified their power tenfold. The power box hissed and melted, allowing him to pry the doors apart.

"Stay out!" a shrill voice commanded when he stepped inside. He turned his head to regard a short, rotund woman hiding behind a file cabinet. A gun was clutched in her hands, it's muzzle pointed straight at his head.

He gave her a smile, looking at her like a cat might a mouse. She stiffened, her eyes wide with terror. "Out!" she repeated.

When they threatened, they probably didn't have the courage to pull the trigger. Judging by her build and the fear in her eyes, she probably had never seen a day of combat.

"Don't rush to your death. I may have use for you yet," he said, striding into one of the side rooms.

"Stay out!" the woman cried again, but didn't move to follow him.

Inside, stretched on a hospital bed, layed the girl. The sorceress. It was the same girl he had seen Cloud carrying out of the Deling fire.

This was simply too perfect.

Her skin was almost completely covered in bandages some stained crimson. Her face was red and her lips cracked. An IV drip and other devices were hooked up to her body, the heart monitor offering a steady beep to assure him the girl was alive.

Sephiroth held out his free hand over her body and summoned several Curaga spells.

"Stop!" the woman shouted again. She was beginning to annoy him. She came to stand in the doorway, still pointing her gun. "She's too badly injured for that! The sudden application of magic could send her body into shock!"

"She isn't some common mortal," Sephiroth said. "She's a sorceress. Her very_ essence_ is magic."

She gasped when he said 'sorceress'. "How did you know that? Who are you?"

Sephiroth grit his teeth. "No matter how useful you may be, I will kill you if you say another word," he promised, giving her a cold stare as the magic flowed from his fingertips.

She gasped again, then clamped her mouth shut and nodded. Her gun slowly dropped to her side, forgotten in her terror.

"Good," he nodded once, absently noting the increase in the girl's heart rate and respiratory rate. He continued his barrage of spells regardless. Finally, he pulled away a piece of her bandaging to study his work. The flesh was a healthy pink beneath.

His sensitive ears picked up movement out in the hall. He sighed in irritation. "Such a nuisance. Remove the machinery and her bandages and dress her," he ordered the woman that still stood in the doorway. "I expect this to be done by the time I return."

The woman stared after him as he strode past her to take care of the soldiers waiting outside the infirmary.

When he returned, he found that the woman had done as he had ordered. She was just finishing buttoning the long blue sweater onto the unconscious girl.

"Very good," he spoke, startling the woman.

She opened her mouth to say something, then thought the better of it.

"Stand back," Sephiroth commanded. When she obeyed, he bent forward to scoop the limp body into his arm. He then turned back to the woman. "When I leave, you will contact Cloud Strife. You will tell him Sephiroth has the girl. If he wishes to retrieve her, he can find me at Tears' Point." On that final note, Sephiroth turned and walked out of the infirmary, heading for the Garden's exit.

Cloud was the only wild card in this game. He was the only one that stood a chance of interfering with his plans. Sephiroth knew the boy had a bleeding heart and would be unable to resist this bait. When he came to the girl's rescue, Sephiroth would destroy him and complete the rest of his plans.

As for the girl, Sephiroth would have to wait and see. Only time would tell if she were wise enough to value her own life over the planet's.

* * *

If it isn't obvious by the "three days" bit, we're nearing the end! :o Hallelujah.

Have a great week! Leave a review, if you please!

God Bless,

-RainFlame


	24. Chapter 24

Hey guys! So, I'm predicting another two to three chapters ;_; Sad, I know.

**Kurosukai:** Thanks for editing :D

**Silverstargirl: **Haha thanks. I think it helped, some XD

**fullwingedpen:** I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'll try to give the Squall's gang a bit more spotlight. I have been neglecting them, it would seem.

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** Lol where to begin...um, the kitty was mine. Dirge is lots of fun :D And I'll admit Zell isn't my favorite, but I don't really have anything against the guy. I just have to abuse someone when I'm not picking on Squall ^-^ I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scene XD And I'm sure Sephy will be taking another dirt nap by the end of this fic ;)

**rebirth-flame: **Lol thankies, and sure! Go right ahead :)

**Firehedgehog:** Lol thanks for the review :D

Disclaimer: Alas, but no. Final Fantasy isn't mine. Tsumi and Vaki, though, are mine, as far as their names, personalities and attire. Technically they were in Advent Children ;D

* * *

Rinoa.

Rinoa was gone.

He had her.

Rinoa…

"_Squall."_

Rinoa.

"_Squall?"_

He found himself standing in a field of white and gold flowers. There was no sky and no other landscape, just the endless sea of flora.

It was calm, only an unnatural breeze interrupted the stillness around him.

The air shimmered in front of him, then he saw a beautiful girl flicker into existence. She had auburn hair pulled back into a thick braid with two locks framing her face. She was clothed in a pink dress with a pink ribbon in her hair and brown boots on her feet.

"Squall," she said again, her voice echoing strangely in the unearthly field. Her green eyes searched his.

"Aeris?" he asked. This was the first time he had ever seen her, outside of Cloud's memories.

"She's alive, Squall," she promised.

Squall couldn't feel anything. All he had left to feel was the sick despair that threatened to overwhelm him. Feeling nothing was better than this, this feeling that threatened to drown his soul. His heart had become numb, unable to handle anymore.

"Are you listening, Squall?" she asked, leaning forward to catch his eye. He glanced at her, then back down to stare at his hands. He was in his own body, somehow.

Suddenly, one of his hands was covered by a pair of smaller ones. He looked at her.

She offered a small, encouraging smile. "Cloud is strong, Squall, but this is your battle too. You are a source of his strength now. He can't win without you. And he can't help Rinoa without you."

Squall was so tired. He had been trapped inside himself for days, unable to move for himself or do what he wanted. He had been stuck, slowly growing restless with energy he couldn't expend and desires he couldn't fulfill. It was exhausting him. His mind was worn ragged by thoughts without outlets and destructive contemplations with no way to carry them out.

"But she needs you."

Rinoa.

She needed him.

Something stirred deep inside of him and Aeris was gone.

* * *

Cloud wasn't feeling very well, and he was certain part of it was Squall's doing. Not that he was even technically present and accounted for. It was like he was somehow in a deep sleep, completely unreachable to Cloud's mind. Ever since they had received that phone call half way to Balamb, it was like Squall had never existed.

Like he was just gone.

Cloud was a little worried, to be honest. It wasn't like they were best friends or anything, but Cloud didn't wish any ill will on him at all.

But now he had a sick feeling in his gut that wasn't entirely physical and an empty feeling in his mind that didn't actually hurt and Squall was nowhere to be found.

And as if his new life couldn't get any worse, Sephiroth had kidnapped Rinoa.

Being alive was completely overrated.

"You're sure?" Cloud asked the doctor.

Kadowaki nodded. "Yes. It was him. Silver hair and a long katana."

Cloud sighed. "Thank you." He turned and left the infirmary and the dozen or so wounded behind him. Irvine followed close on his heels.

"We have two days," the cowboy announced, his voice solemn.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. Two days to save the world."

"How cliché," Irvine said, a faint smile in his voice.

"Yes," Cloud said with a wry smirk.

They took the elevator up to Squall's office, where the others waited. When they walked in, Selphie was perched on the large desk examining her fingernails and Zell was seated in Squall's chair. Quistis was busying herself by organizing the Commander's paperwork and Vincent stood at the large window, surveying the land.

They all looked up as they entered.

"It was Sephiroth," Cloud announced.

"He has Rinny?" Selphie asked, her tiny hands balling into fists.

Irvine walked over to her and leaned against the desk beside her. "The doctor said Sephiroth healed her completely before taking her, so he wants her alive, for now."

"He had a personal message for me," Cloud said quietly, making the others strain to hear. He wondered over to the window a ways from Vincent. "He said if I wanted her, I would meet him at Tears' Point. He wants me out of the way."

"He doesn't stand a chance against all of us!" Zell said, pumping his fist in his overly enthusiastic way.

"The odds of us all surviving are slim," Vincent murmured as he stared outside. "And there were nine of us the first time we fought Sephiroth."

"I beat him alone two years later," Cloud pointed out.

"Sephiroth was not at his full power. He was merely using the weaker body of a remnant. We don't know how strong he is now. Perhaps I can arrange for some extra assistance."

"Assistance?" Cloud asked.

The gunman nodded. "I will meet you back here at nightfall." At that, he turned and left the room.

There was a heavy silence in his wake until Irvine spoke up. "What does Squall think we should do now?"

"He's not responding," Cloud informed. "We're on our own, for now."

"Not responding?" Quistis demanded, crossing her arms. "Why not?"

Cloud shook his head slowly. "I don't know. Maybe he's just ignoring me."

"Squall wouldn't do that," she insisted. "He knows what's at stake here!"

"I don't have an answer for you," Cloud said, struggling to stay calm and to keep his voice even. He wasn't sure what the woman was implying, but he was sure it wasn't anything they needed right now.

"Quisty," Irvine said, his own voice soft. "Calm down. We can't start panicking now."

She turned away. "Sorry. I think I'm just…tired."

"We all are," Cloud said. "Everyone get some rest. We'll meet here at nightfall when Vincent gets back. Then we'll head for Tears' Point."

Head for the end.

"What about clean up?" Selphie asked. "There are a lot of people-"

"We can't do anything for them," Cloud reminded. "We're not healers. Leave the injured to the nurses. Right now we can do the most good by saving our strength."

The group slowly rose to their feet, their remorse over the deaths of companions and anticipation over their uncertain future hanging unspoken in the air like a dark cloud. They left the room, leaving Cloud alone to face his dark thoughts.

* * *

He could feel it, the raw force tearing through him, devouring his very self. He was drowning in the power. All of its energy and all of its strength were converging inside of him.

It was alien, and yet very familiar, like he had brushed with this power before but hadn't lingered on it.

He liked it. Much more than he should.

* * *

Cloud gazed at the sun setting over the fields outside of Balamb. Everything, including his mind, had a strange, eerie calm. Like the kind that settles over the country before a massive tornado hits. Under that calm was something dark and menacing. He felt it, deep inside of him. So regardless of how pleasant the surroundings, Cloud couldn't help but feel ill at ease.

The strange silence in his mind didn't help things either. Where could Squall have possibly gone?

'_Squall?'_ he tried again for the billionth time that day.

Nothing.

The elevator behind him dinged expectantly, causing him to turn around. The rest of the assembled group did likewise.

The doors opened revealing Vincent, his form flanked on either side by two creatures.

The SeeDs were surprised at the sight of two felines entering the room. Cloud was taken aback. "Vincent? Are these…?"

"Nanaki's cubs," the gunman confirmed.

The two cats resembled Red in many aspects. Their coat was the same burgundy color and they had the same red manes and a flickering flame at the tips of their tails. The only notable differences were the fact that they possessed two eyes and had none of the surgical scars and tattoos that marked Nanaki's body.

"This is Tsumi and Vaki," Vincent introduced.

The first was considerably larger than the other cat and seemed to be even bigger than Red was. He wore two silver bracelets on his foreleg and his right ear was practically missing.

The smaller one, Vaki wore a thicker bracelet he recognized as belonging to Red. All the materia slots were empty, though, and the metal tarnished by centuries of wear. The cat, unlike his sibling, had no noticeable disfigurements.

"Vincent has explained your situation," Vaki said, his voice quiet, much like Red's, with the same soft lilt. "Perhaps my brother and I may be of some assistance."

"Are you certain?" Cloud asked. He hadn't known Red had even had cubs, much less with whom. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of the possibility of ending the future of an entire race.

Vaki nodded. "Our father and Vincent have fought many battles to keep this planet safe. It is our responsibility to continue doing so."

He sighed. The second day was already ending and the third and final day was due to start. Time was, as usual, running out. He looked over his ragtag group, made up of gunfighters, martial artists, masters of blades and those skilled with whips and fangs. All of these beings had assembled, agreeing to fight for the planet, maybe even to the death. Some were motivated by an ingrained sense of honor, others by the safety of a friend, and some for the future of life on this world.

All eyes were on him, waiting for an order, or for profound words that might offer them some small comfort or provide resolve where theirs might have faltered.

They were waiting for their leader that slept inside of him.

But he had no words and Squall wasn't waking up. All he could do was try to carry the flag in his stead and keep these people alive.

"Let's come back alive," was all he could say.

He walked out, eight warriors following behind him.

* * *

The power seemed to grow even more, as impossible as it seemed. Even the sense of familiarity seemed to be growing, like reuniting with an old friend. Its embrace was warm and enticing, all he had to do was accept it.

But not yet. He would bide his time. He would wait until it would be the most effective, until the power would serve his intents and purposes.

He prayed he wouldn't have long to wait.

* * *

Her body ached. It felt like she hadn't moved in ages. Her muscles were stiff, her throat was parched, and her skin felt tight and uncomfortable. That was the first thing she noticed, really. The discomfort.

Then, as she continued to wake up, her awareness stretched outside of her being to encompass some of her surroundings. She became aware of sounds she wasn't familiar with, or maybe silence was a better word. It was the kind of silence that one might observe alone in a stadium or crater. It was hollow and deafening in its enormity.

The air smelled like metal and dust.

Her head ached.

With a bit of apprehension, she forced open her eyelids.

A night sky greeted her eyes. There were no clouds, allowing the perfect view of the starry expanse, untainted by artificial light. A soft, gentle breeze ruffled her hair, pulling it across her face.

With a bit more effort than she expected, she sat up to survey the land. She immediately recognized the area with a rush of fear. Tears' Point.

She was on the very top of one of the towers that were arranged in an enormous circle around a dizzying array of square columns that glowed red with black panels on top of them.

But the point was, she was on the _very top_ of the tower. One wrong step and she would fall to her death.

"Don't fall."

She almost jumped out of her skin at the deep baritone voice. She whirled around to see who else was up here with her.

A tall man stood there, with a solid build and cold, glowing green eyes the color of poison. He was dressed in black pants and a black button down that set off the river of silver hair that flowed down to his waist and showed just how pale his skin really was.

An enormous wing the color of the night sky protruded from his right shoulder.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

"Sephiroth, the last Ancient on this planet," he introduced himself. "And you are the only sorceress on the planet, am I mistaken?"

She blinked in surprise. "How do you—"?

"That's not important," the man insisted, a thin smile crossing his lips. It made a shiver run down her spine. "What is important that I am about to destroy all life on this planet. And you are going to assist me."

* * *

Horay for disposable characters XD Not saying I'll despose of them, but you never know.

I really hope I remember enough about Tears' Point to write about it .-. Youtube isn't being very helpful in that area.

On another note, I'm going on vacation and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update again before then :o If not, I'll have the next chapter up in about two weeks. Hopefully I can finish up the rest of the fic while I'm away and the following updates will only be a few days apart. No promises, though.

Leave a review, if you please, and have a great week!

God Bless,

-RainFlame


	25. Chapter 25

Hey! I'm very sorry this took so long to post! I got too distracted with life XD

**Firehedgehog:** Lol thanks.

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** Thanks so very much for all of your help with this chapter! I appreciate it so much! And I'm sure you're right about the end of FFVII game...I've just never played it ;)

**Silverstargirl:** You're very right about Rinoa. I'm glad I was slightly pressured into including her XD

**Thatotherguy: **Teehee thankies XD

**rebirth-flame:** All about Squall is about to be explained! And as far as I understand it, Sephiroth is not in fact an Ancient. He just thinks he is since he believes Jenova to be the last Ancient (which, as far as I know, is also not true).

**JadeAlmasy:** Thanks! I hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I wish.

* * *

The ride had been a silent one, with maybe a total of three sentences uttered the whole time. Everyone had something else on their mind. Like how they were going to survive the next few hours.

Life was a fragile thing. A small piece of lead was really all it took to end it.

Irvine had been in many battles before. He was no stranger to death. He wasn't exactly afraid of dying, either. He knew where he was headed when all was said and done, and he knew it would be better than what he had here. But still, there was that primal fear that insisted on making itself known, the one that fought tooth and nail in the most basic of instincts: self preservation.

He always hated it when he had down time before a mission like this. There was too much time to think. Too much time to question and wonder and contemplate his own mortality.

He could see Tears' Point in the distance, rising up on the horizon with the sun behind it. Dark clouds swirled above the location, unnatural in their form. Cloud had mentioned that Sephiroth could do strange things like controlling the weather. The clouds spiraled around the stadium-like structure, the occasional flash of lightening adding to the group's unease and filling the air with the scent of ozone. Soon the clouds would swallow up the sun.

He glanced up to look at Cloud and Zell in the front, then his eyes fell beside him where Selphie sat, her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes staring at the storm. He placed an arm around her and she looked up, offering him a thin smile before turning away again. She leaned into him, though, allowing him to give her some comfort.

Irvine turned to look at the car beside them that was occupied by Vincent, the two cats and Quistis. Quistis had her eyes on the road as she drove, a small frown on her face. Vincent was staring out at the plains and it looked like the two felines were conversing quietly in the back seat.

Cloud soon slowed their vehicle to a stop about a mile from the site. Quistis followed suit, pulling up beside him and stopping the car. The dead silence that filled the air in the engines' wake was unnerving and a sharp peal of thunder only added to the effect.

Without a word, everyone left the cars and followed Cloud on foot, readying weapons and spreading out a bit. Traveling in too close of a knot made it easy for enemies to pick off multiple targets at once. And judging by what Cloud had said about Sephiroth, there was no need to make his job easier. They very well could all be dead by lunch.

Irvine wondered about Squall as they walked. He wondered if this was a choice Squall would have made. He would certainly have gone after Rinoa without a second thought, but Irvine wondered if he would have brought his team with him. Squall could be a pigheaded fool at times and might have easily classified this as a suicide mission. He had a way of seeing things as statistics and while he was more than willing to give his life for a friend, he was a bit more reluctant to ask others to follow him to Death's door.

It was strange what people thought when they believed these might be their last hours on the planet. One would think that last thoughts would be reserved for reviewing precious memories and wondering about the future of loved ones. Instead, he was pondering over the character of his friends and the frailty of life.

Cloud suddenly drew to a halt, making everyone else stop and look. He had his eyes glued on the stadium-like structure before him. They seemed to reflect the chaos of the storm they beheld as if the charge of the lightening had sparked something buried in his soul. A deep anger and perhaps hatred that smoldered inside his heart.

Irvine thought he saw them flash a dark, cobalt blue before returning to glowing aqua.

"Does everyone remember what they are supposed to do?" Cloud asked, his voice brittle as he stared. When no one spoke, he continued, "Once you have Rinoa, get out of here. Am I clear?"

Of course he was. But no one really had any intention of just leaving Cloud behind, or Squall for that matter. He was delusional to think they would just abandon him, orders or no.

* * *

It surged and flowed, the closer they came, pressing against him.

He was losing his will to fight it.

A million voices hummed, assuring him it was safe, assuring him he need only to accept it and all would fall into place, that all would end well.

He knew better than to trust blindly, but he didn't have much choice. He began to lower his defenses, one at a time.

* * *

They arrived at Tears' Point all too soon. All of the hours of mental preparation seemed worthless now, as if he hadn't even tried. He felt just as unready as he always felt before a fight, with the same cold fear gripping his heart and the same sense of isolation he felt no matter how many companions he surrounded himself with.

Tears' Point lay sprawled out before them, occasionally highlighted by a flash of lightening. It was nothing but a maze of black square columns of varying heights. In the middle, eight colossal statues of angelic looking figures were arranged in a circle in several poses.

Near the statues, atop one of the square columns, stood a man. His cool green eyes still held a glint of insanity and the curtain of silver hair was just as magnificent as he remembered. Even the haughty smile was the same, holding in it all of the man's contempt and arrogance.

Pride goeth before a fall. And Cloud intended to make him fall hard.

Beside him stood Rinoa. He saw the fear on her face, but he also saw the resolve in her eyes. She was ready for a fight.

'_Squall?'_ he tried again, hoping against hope he would get a response, or maybe even feel the brush of the man's presence.

His mind was silent.

They approached cautiously, stopping a good ways away to allow a wide margin between the group and Sephiroth's sword. Lightening flashed behind him, adding an even more foreboding feeling to the situation.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud called, his voice filled with authority and strength. Strength he knew was forced. He held his sword at the ready, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Good to see you, Cloud," Sephiroth smiled, repeating those same words in the same tone he had used all those years ago.

"Let the girl go," Cloud ordered, ignoring the madman's greeting.

His smile broadened. "Come and take her."

So this was it. This was where it would all be decided. Cloud was very certain that only one of them would be walking away from Tears' Point alive. He had every intention of being that one.

He took about three seconds to center himself, to focus. He put every worry out of his mind, every fear. Those wouldn't help him. He would fight, and he would win.

He weighted his sword in his hands, the familiar load offering a bit of comfort.

He breathed.

He charged. A scream tore from his lips as he hurled himself up at Sephiroth, his sword held high to meet him.

Sephiroth too leapt from his perch, holding _Masamune_ in is right hand low to come at Cloud from beneath his guard.

They met in midair, their swords clashing in a shower of sparks. The force of the impact jarred Cloud's bones and forced him down towards the ground. He shoved off of _Masamune_ and somersaulted backward, landing on a square column.

As soon as Cloud was clear, Vincent and Irvine opened fire while Vaki and Tsumi moved in.

* * *

It trickled in at first through cracks and holes and filled slowly, the warmth and comfort washing over him, its touch gentle to his soul, despite the damage it was doing to his mind.

But soon, like a hole in any dam, the trickle turned into a dribble, the dribble a flow, and the flow a rush.

Soon he was drowning.

* * *

Zell ran hard through the thick maze of square pillars. He, Quistis and Selphie had to extract Rinoa before things started to get messy on the battlefield. She needed to be out of there before people started throwing some of the less accurate spells around.

As they neared the column Rinoa was on, he could hear Quistis whisper something. His body suddenly lifted off the ground as she cast Float on the party. They rose up as the spell permeated the space beneath their feet and caused the air to thicken. They ran, their feet sinking into nothing until they hit the solidity of the pillar.

Rinoa was waiting on them. Since he was the first to arrive, he was the first she threw her arms around, pressing herself against him. He wrapped his arm around her as a blur of silver appeared behind her.

Quistis' whip lashed out in the blink of an eye, wrapping around Sephiroth's sword and throwing off his aim. The slice came down centimeters from Zell's shoulder and bit into the black panel under their feet.

Sephiroth spun, tearing the blade from the whip's grasp as Selphie's nun chucks flew out to meet him. He blocked the weapon, entangling the chain around his sword with a quick flick of his wrist. He then yanked back, sending it flying off to the side and stepped in to deal the girl a blow.

Selphie produced a dagger from her boot and made a move to block the attack, but the heaviness of the blow snapped the blade and came down to cut deep into her arm. Selphie screamed.

Gunfire erupted off to the side as Vincent or Irvine got a clear shot. A barrage of bullets pelted the ground at the madman's feet. Sephiroth was forced to abandon his attack on Selphie and turn to deflect the incoming shots with a few deft moves of his blade.

Zell handed Rinoa off to Quistis and wrapped an arm around Selphie's waist before bailing off of the pillar. Quistis and Rinoa followed.

(Vincent POV)

He was as fast as Vincent remembered, if not faster. No sooner did he have his sights leveled on him before he was gone, spinning away to attack another.

He squeezed off a few more rounds and bounded to another column when the swordsman disappeared from view, Irvine mirroring his moves across from him. They managed to catch Sephiroth in a crossfire, but he deflected all of the incoming shots easily.

Out of nowhere, Vaki and Tsumi rushed him, Tsumi leaping high with claws outstretched and Vaki diving for Sephiroth's leg.

Tsumi met Sephiroth's sword, the weapon impaling him as Sephiroth slipped out of Vaki's way. Vincent's breathing hitched as Tsumi slid off the blade and fell in a lifeless heap to the ground.

He snarled as he fired repeatedly at the silver haired figure. He had promised Nanaki he would do all in his power to protect his cubs. And now he had failed.

Every living entity inside of him came alive with rage, every one hissing and howling to be released. They fed off of his own fury, each wanting nothing more than to see this madman die by their own claws.

But Vincent wouldn't give them that pleasure. He wanted to kill Sephiroth himself.

(Selphie POV)

Her entire arm felt like it was on fire. The blood flowed freely from her arm at an alarming rate, soaking through her clothes and onto Zell's. Her breath was coming in short gasps and what wasn't burning felt cold.

"Hang on, Selph," Zell murmured as he ran, holding her close.

"I don't wanna die," she slurred, her voice as weak as she felt.

"You won't," he promised, glaring ahead, his face a composed mask of determination.

Her vision was beginning to dim around the edges, the darkness closing in on her. She was suffocating. "I can't see, Zell."

"Hang on! Just hang on!" he repeated, over and over again.

"Sorry—," she whispered and fainted.

(Zell POV)

"Selphie!" he screamed. He couldn't stop now. If they stopped to check on her and Sephiroth caught up with them, he had no doubt that they all would die.

But she was bleeding out and he had nothing to staunch it with. A hasty Cure spell wouldn't be enough to mend a major artery. It would heal the skin and she would bleed out beneath. She needed surgery.

He looked beside him where Quistis and Rinoa were running beside him, both looking worriedly at the girl in his arms.

"We've got to get her to a hospital!" he insisted.

"She'll die before we get to Esthar." Quistis said. She looked at the sorceress running next to her. "Can you do anything?" she asked.

Rinoa shook her head. "Magic won't heal that." Tears were streaming down her face. She tore off her sweater. "Stop for a second."

"But Sephiroth—"

"Just a second!" her voice rang with authority despite the fear in her eyes.

Zell came to a halt, careful not to jar Selphie more than necessary. Rinoa tore her sleeve from the sweater and formed a tourniquet, tying it tightly above the injury.

The sharp cling of metal and the piercing report of gunfire came steadily closer.

They ran for the exit.

(Irvine POV)

Over an hour into the battle and Sephiroth didn't have a scratch on him. Incredible.

Irvine himself had caught a ricocheted bullet in the hip. It was slowing him, but it wasn't enough to put him out of the fight.

What would put him out of the fight, however, was his rapidly depleting supply of ammunition. He didn't know how Vincent stood, but he himself was running low.

He emptied his magazine and dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out a few more shells and ramming them in. In a well-practiced maneuver, he cocked his weapon to put two in the chamber and kept firing.

When he ran out, he would have to resort to magic and the dagger in his boot.

Sephiroth suddenly turned his eyes on him and narrowed them.

Crap.

Irvine did the only sensible thing he could do. He squeezed off another round then hobbled off for cover. There was no way he could survive close combat with that guy.

Metal bit into metal behind him and he chanced a look over his shoulder. Cloud had intercepted Sephiroth's attack.

(Cloud POV)

Cloud cut off Sephiroth's attack on Irvine. He parried a blow and leaned forward to deal one himself, only to have it blocked. Sephiroth spun out from under his blade, bringing his own around to cut into Cloud's side. He rocked his sword back and caught it in the hilt, but Sephiroth lashed out with a foot, sending Cloud flying back and into one of the angelic statues.

The force of it knocked the breath out of him and tore the _Buster Sword_ from his grip, flinging it out of his reach.

He tried to stand up, but Sephiroth closed in on him, firmly planting a booted foot into his chest and leaning in on it.

"Fool," he hissed, his voice dripping with contempt even as a smile crossed his lips. "You think I will be defeated so easily?"

With a glare, Cloud twisted his body, throwing of Sephiroth's balance and allowing himself a chance to dive for his sword. His fingers brushed the hilt before it was kicked out of his reach.

Cloud rolled before _Masamune_ sliced down, biting into the tiled floor where his chest had just been.

What he wouldn't give for a materia right now.

Gunfire sounded from nearby, forcing Sephiroth to turn and defend himself. Cloud took the opportunity to grab his sword. He ejected one of the side blades into his other hand as he spun around to confront the silver haired man again.

He was gone.

A rush of wind above him caught his attention. He looked to see Sephiroth, flying to the top of the statues.

Clenching his jaw, Cloud ran to the nearest column. He gathered his feet beneath him and leapt, landing on the top. He then leapt again, his body cutting through the air like a missile as he climbed into the sky.

He came up behind Sephiroth as he ascended and readied his sword to drive it through him.

Sephiroth suddenly turned, swinging his arm around and hitting Cloud out of the air.

Again, into the statues.

This time, the force of his impact cracked a weakened portion of the figure and he felt some part of his ribcage give way as fiery pain flashed through his nerves. He slumped and fell down the side of the statue, landing mercifully in the crook of its stone arm instead of falling some twelve stories down.

He was winded, but he couldn't catch his breath. Every inhalation brought with it a new wave of sharp pain. He heard Sephiroth land nearby, the soft whisper of his wing halting and heavy footsteps approaching.

He didn't want to get up.

Cloud began the painstaking effort of lifting his head off the ground.

"You are so predictable, Cloud," Sephiroth chuckled darkly from somewhere above him. "Even after all these years, I have you in the palm of my hand. You are still my puppet."

Cloud snarled with renewed vigor and sliced his sword over the ground in an attempt to cut into Sephiroth's leg.

The man danced away with ease before throwing a telekinetic blast his way, hurling him into the stony figure again. He gasped as something else broke within him. Cloud crumbled to a heap on the floor.

"You always wanted to be the hero, didn't you?" Sephiroth asked, his voice ringing. "And when you couldn't do it by yourself, you stole Zack's life. But even that couldn't help you. In the end, you couldn't even save your little flower girl."

Cloud grunted. He tried to lift his sword, but he could only get it a few inches off of the ground. It was too heavy for him.

"I'm sure you miss her, though. How would you like to go see her again?"

Cloud was going to die here.

All he could see was a shadow illuminated by a flash of lightening as Sephiroth raised his sword.

* * *

Squall couldn't hold it in any longer. The energy had become volatile and had expanded as much as his mind would allow, but there was so much more. It had filled every pore and recess of his mind, burning like acid as it swirled inside of him. It was searching for escape and for direction. All he had to do now was focus it.

He surged forward, hurling his consciousness ahead. His mind was like an ocean and Cloud's like an island in the vast waters. It was easily overtaken.

* * *

Sephiroth smiled broadly. This would mark the beginning of the end. With Cloud's death, he could begin the destruction of mankind unopposed.

He brought his sword down over the blond's neck to deal the final blow.

It stopped short.

His sword would not move down any further. It instead hovered inches over Cloud, sparking like it had encountered some kind of invisible shield. A Protect spell would not have shielded the boy from an attack like this.

Sephiroth frowned as Cloud raised his head, slowly.

The eyes that met his were not Cloud's. Cloud's were a glowing aqua color, bright and alive with Mako. The eyes that met his were a dark, storm blue.

* * *

Squall met Sephiroth's gaze and immediately felt the old hatred burn inside of him, but he shoved the irrational emotion aside. It wouldn't help him here.

He picked himself off of the ground, or Cloud, rather. The foreign body moved at his command, the pain a distant echo of what it would have been if it were Squall's own body.

Sephiroth raised his sword and sliced, but it glanced off of his shield harmlessly. The energy hummed through him and through the air around him.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth demanded coldly, holding his sword before him.

Squall didn't answer. He instead held out a hand.

His palm glowed a bright green and pure, raw Lifestream poured through the appendage.

It shot at Sephiroth, engulfing him in green flame when it made contact with his skin. Sephiroth collapsed to the ground and screamed as the fire seared his flesh, turning it a grisly black slick with blood as it encountered the flesh of Jenova and made to destroy it.

Like any efficient immune system, the Lifestream recognized a threat to the planet's existence from long before, remembering all of the damage and grief the Calamity from the Skies had brought down to the world.

Before the fire could finish its work, Squall delved himself into Cloud's own power, enhanced as it was with years of practice, skill, experience and infused with Mako energy. He linked their energy together and raised his sword.

White, gold and purple light swirled around his body as he forced his body to its Limit Break. He raised a piece of Cloud's sword and rushed Sephiroth.

He dealt blow after blow in rapid succession, each one powered by Squall and Cloud's combined strength. They landed with bone shattering force, doing as much blunt force trauma as anything.

The attack ended moments later, leaving a broken, charred and bleeding body beneath his sword.

Sephiroth chocked and whispered something Squall didn't understand. With what looked like a great effort, Sephiroth pulled his burnt wing over his body, completely obscuring it from view.

He disintegrated into a pile of black feathers that were captured by the wind and carried away, riding a current into the heavens.

Squall collapsed.

* * *

Special Thanks: DaughterOfSorceress-Lion. She was incredibly helpful with this chapter and that last move was all her idea. I believe she called it "Lomnislash".

Well, all that's left is the epilogue ;_; It makes me sad.

Thanks for reading! Realize that I will have nothing to write for a long time unless inspiration strikes me. If you have ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them!

God Bless,

-RainFlame


	26. Chapter 26

Hey guys! Well, this is it. The last chapter of this fic. I hate to see it go, it's been so much fun.

**DaughterOfSorceress-Lion:** Hmm. Role reversal...I am intrigued XD We shall see if I can't come up with something. Since I have two requests for sequels...

**Silverstargirl**: I'm glad you enjoyed the battle :)

**Firehedgehog:** Lol I'm sorry! I ran out of ideas.

**thatotherguy:** Bwahaha XD Thankies.

**JadeAlmasy:** Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

**rebirth-flame**: I am sorry it wasn't quite as long as people would have liked. As I said, fighting scenes really aren't my forte, and I, personally, tire of them quickly. And there just might be a sequel/prequel/role reversing of some sort. It depends. Of course, I suddenly got the idea of doing a story with Sephiroth being the main character. I'll see which one takes off faster, but there's definitely a possibility ;)

Disclaimer: I do wish. But no.

* * *

"_You did it, Squall."_

Squall looked around. He was in the field of flowers. Across from him just a few feet away sat Aeris, her dress spread over the grass around her.

Beside her, a blond man sat cross-legged. He stared up at him with glowing blue eyes and a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Congratulations. You did what I couldn't."

Squall frowned. "But I didn't do it alone," he said, looking pointedly at Aeris.

"I may have given you the power, but you decided what to do with it," she said with a warm smile. "We are never asked to do things completely alone. There will always be someone there to help you, whether you realize it or not."

Squall took this in, then asked, "Is Sephiroth dead?"

Cloud only offered a shrug. "As dead as he ever really is. He will be back one day, I'm sure. But probably not in your lifetime."

"Maybe you'll be the one to volunteer for the job next time," Aeris said with a wink.

Squall didn't reply to that. The odds of that happening were slim to none. "What about Chaos?"

"He won't bother with the planet, now that he has no master to direct him," Cloud explained.

Squall quietly mulled that over for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted.

"Rinoa's waiting for you," Aeris said.

Squall looked up.

"It's time to wake up, Squall," she smiled.

The field around him slowly became engulfed by darkness.

"Good luck, Squall," Cloud said with the same small smile as he and Aeris vanished.

* * *

He felt pain. That was all that really registered as he pushed his way up the layers of consciousness. It hurt so much he wanted to just go back to sleep.

But he remembered Rinoa. He wasn't sure why but he needed to see her, alive and safe.

He swam to the surface.

He opened his eyes, squinting blearily into a bright light. It took a long moment for his eyes to focus. He soon recognized where he was: the infirmary.

His eyes fell on a pool of dark hair spread out across his blankets.

Rinoa.

She was asleep in her chair with her head resting on his bed. Her shoulders rose and fell softly with her shallow breathing.

He lifted his hand with no small effort, bringing it to rest gently on hers. She didn't stir as he twined his fingers in hers.

A small smile found its way across his face and he drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

The service was a small one, at Red's request. According to Vincent, the area was where Cosmo Canyon used to be, a place where many of Red's ancestors had been buried centuries before.

Squall's team was gathered around the small pine box along with Laguna, Red, Vaki and three other cats Squall didn't recognize. Above them, the moon shone brightly and the stars glistened as if shedding tears of their own.

Vincent gave the eulogy and the parting prayer over his friend's cub before he, Irvine, Zell and Squall lowered the coffin into the ground and buried it under the earth.

As soon as it was done, the group lined up and each of them deposited a flower on the grave under a simple wood marker, then they walked some distance away to give the family some privacy.

Squall surveyed the group with a touch of remorse. The silence was thick in the air, hanging like a veil covering those that mourned.

"How are you feeling?" Irvine asked Laguna in a hushed tone with one arm draped protectively around Selphie, who had her own arm in a sling.

Laguna smiled a bit. "Hurts, but it's getting better." He looked down at Selphie. "What about you?"

"Practically good as new," she informed brightly. "Kadowaki said I only need a few more treatments before-"

"Squall?" He felt a touch on his shoulder.

Squall turned from where he had been watching the others to see Rinoa, her face looking up at him questioningly.

He hadn't seen much of her since he woke up in the infirmary. She had been helping Garden with clean up while he had been stuck in bed for three days. Then he had to go help Red with funeral arrangements.

She put her arm through his and led him away from the gathering. "You blame yourself, don't you?" she asked, her eyes concerned.

He frowned, but didn't deny it. It was true. If he had gotten a handle on the Lifestream's power sooner, Selphie and Irvine wouldn't have gotten injured and Tsumi wouldn't be dead.

"You can't hold yourself responsible for everything, Squall," she said, pressing her head against his chest. "You can't control everything."

Squall wrapped his arm around her reflexively, relishing her closeness and the perfect way her form fit next to his. "I can try."

She looked up at him, a faint smile on her face. "You can try," she repeated. "But this isn't your fault."

"Not directly," he agreed.

Rinoa sighed. "Squall, please don't blame yourself."

He released her and turned away, his eyes roaming over the vast brush land before them illuminated only by the moonlight. "I'll try," he promised.

She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "Thanks for coming after me."

He turned abruptly, surprised. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

She smiled. "No, I knew my Knight would come," she assured him.

Squall relaxed a bit. "Sorry it took so long."

Rinoa shook her head. "You didn't take long." She buried her face in his chest again, and he held her without protest. "I love you," she murmured.

He stiffened marginally in surprise. Then, he relaxed as he held her close to him.

Up above in the night sky, a single star fell from the heavens.

_Fin_

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* * *

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Well, there we have it. _From the Inside, _my very first fic, is complete.

Special thanks: Kurosukai, for the marvelous editing job (even if it was sometimes delayed ;)) and Kurosukai and thatotherguy for allowing me to bounce ideas off of them.

Then, DaughterOfSorceress-Lion for helping me out with the last chapter and sifting though a billion youtube videos. You were incredibly helpful!

Last, but certainly not least, all my reviewers! I will not name names for fear of forgetting someone, but you have all been amazing! You guys helped me through my writer's block on numerous occasions and enabled me to complete this fic. Thank you all!

Now, I shall stop gushing and allow you to move on with other things ;) Hope to see you in future fics. God Bless all,

-RainFlame


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